CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 3. SCANSORES. 



219 



THE CAROLINA PARROT. 



PARRAKEET MACAW. 



shining strongly on their gay and glossy plumage, produced a very beautiful and splendid appear- 



1 ance. Here I had an opportunity of observing some very particular traits of their character ; 



! having shot down a number, some of which were only woundtd, the whole flock swept repeatedly 



around their prostrate companions, and again settled on a low tree, within twenty yards of the 



spot where I stood. At each successive dis- 

 charge, though showers of them fell, yet the 

 aflfection of the survivors seemed rather to 

 increase ; for after a few circuits around the 

 place, they again alighted near me, looking 

 down on their slaughtered companions with 

 such manifest symptoms of sympathy and 

 concern as entirely disarmed me." This is 

 the only species of parrot native of the 

 United States ; in captivity it is docile and 

 sociable, and soon becomes very familiar. 

 Like the other members of the group, it 

 deposits its eggs in hollow trees, but is said 

 to carry its sociable habits even into the 

 business of incubation, several couples usu- 

 ally breeding in the same cavity. 



The Long-billed Parkot, Nestor pro- 

 ductus of Gould, the genus forming a con- 

 necting link between the parrots and cocka- 

 toos, isfifteenincheslong; general colordecp 



_. red, with yellow, olive, and brown ; its voice 



harsh, like the barking ofadog; feeds on fruits and leaves; native of Australia and Norfolk Island. 



THE LONG-BILLED PARROT. 



