218 VERTEBRATA. 



this species was tanijlit to speak by fv sailor, in tlie course of a voyage from Guinea, and acquired 

 so exactly his liarsli voice uiitl coiio;h as to be frc(|nently mistaken for him. It was afterward in- 

 structed by a young man, and altiiougli it then heard no voice but that of its teacher, the former 

 lessons were never forgotten ; and it often amused the bystanders by suddenly passing from a soft 

 ■ iiid agreeable voice to its old hoarse sea-tone. This bird has not only the power of mimicking 

 the human voice, but by its attention and manifest effort, shows also a desire of imitation. It 

 continualiv repeats the syllables which it lias heard, and, in order not to be misled in memory, 

 endeavors to cry down all sounds which may disturb it. Its lessons make so deep an impression 

 that it often dreams aloud. When young, its memory is so good as to retain whole vers(;s and 

 sentences. Rhodiginus mentions a Gray Parrot which could repeat the Apostles' Creed without 

 a slip, and was on that account bought by a cardinal for one hundred crowns. 



The Common' Amazox Parrot, P. cestivus, size of a pigeon ; colors various, yellow and blue 

 generally prevailing, with green, red, violet, blue, and black ; sociable and faithful, but learns to 

 speak with difficulty; native of Mexico and south to Brazil. 



The Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot, P. ochrocephalus^ fourteen inches long; prevailing 

 color vellowish-green, with red, green, and black; very beautiful, but unable to talk, and only 

 utters a harsh scream ; native of South America. 



The Blue-faced Parrot, P, auinmnalis^ size of the preceding; colors green and red ; learns 

 but little, and continually cries /7irr, girr ; native of Guiana. 



The Blue-necked Parrot, P. inestruus, size of the ash-gray parrot; head, neck, and part of 

 the breast indigo-blue; back, belly, wings, and thighs green; the feathers on the belly tipped 

 with blue; beautiful, tamo, and gentle, but does not speak; native of Guiana. 



The White-fronted Parrot, P. leucocephalus^ size of a house-pigeon ; prevailing color green, 

 with scarlet, red, brown, and blue ; tame and talkative, and a great imitator of the voices of dogs, 

 cats, and sheep. 



The Pavocan Parrot, P. Guianensis — Psittacara or Conurns Guianensis, and an example 

 of whnt are called tbe Parrakset Macaws of South America — is twelve inches long; colors green 

 and yellow ; learns to speak more easily and perfectly than any other of the long-tailed parrots. 

 Levaillant saw one that would lie on his back, fold his feet iu the attitude of prayer, and repeat 

 the whole of the Lord's Prayer in Dutch. 



The Gray-breasted Parrot, P. murinus or Conurus murimts, is of a silyer-jiray color ; eleven 

 and a half inches long; is a quiet and gentle species, and learns a few words ; found in South America. 



The Illinois Vakkot, P. po-tinax or Conurus 2}C)-ttnax, one of the most common species in the 

 hands of the bird-sellers; nine and a half inches long; prevailing color green ; yellowish-gray 

 on the lower part of the body; forehead, cheeks, and throat orange ; belly spotted with orange; 

 native of Brazil and Guiana, where it is seen in flocks of five hundred, one always appointed as 

 a sentinel while they are feeding. It is a beautiful bird, and is very aff'ectionate, but its cry is 

 harsh, and its talking capacity very limited. 



The Yellow Parrot, P. solstifialis or Conurus solstifialis, same size as the preceding; prevailing 

 color orange, with ash, green, olive, and orange ; found iu Angola ; learns to speak easily and well. 



The Carolina Parrot, P. CaroUnensis — Conurus CaroUnensis of De Kay and others — is a 

 native of Guiana, but is found as far north as Virginia, and in the west as far as Illinois. They 

 are exceedingly sociable in their habits, always flying in large flocks, and roosting in companies 

 of thirty or forty together in the inside of a hollow tree. They are greatly attached to each 

 other, nestling close together, and scratching one another's heads in a most afi'ectionate manner. 

 They manifest this attachment in an equally striking manner when any of their companions fall 

 into misfortune. In illustration of this we may quote the following passage from "Wilson's Amer- 

 ican Ornithology. "At Big Bone Lick, thirty miles above the mouth of Kentucky River, I 

 saw them in great numbers. They came screaming through the woods in the morning, about 

 an hour after sunrise, to drink the salt water, of which they, as well as the pigeons, are re- 

 markably fond. When they alighted on the ground, it appeared at a distance as if covered with 

 a carpet of the richest green, orange, and yellow ; they afterward settled in one body on a neigh- 

 boring tree, which stood detached from any other, covering almost every twig of it, and the sun. 



