THE ILLINOIS PARROT. 125 



23. THE GREAT GREEN MACAW. 

 Psittacus Militaris, LIN. Der Grune Aras, BECH. 



Description. This bird, which has been well described and 

 figured by EDWARDS, is somewhat smaller than the preceding, 

 being two feet four inches in length. The beak is large and 

 black ; the feet a brownish flesh colour. The cheeks and the 

 circle of the eyes are a pale reddish flesh colour, crossed by 

 crooked stripes of black feathers. The head, neck, back, wing 

 coverts and belly, are grass green, in some parts lighter, in 

 others tinged with olive green. Over the forehead passes a 

 thick band of bright red feathers, which has the appearance 

 of coarse velvet. The green feathers of the rump are some- 

 what mixed with red ; the pen feathers are blackish in front, 

 becoming bluer as they recede, except that the last, together 

 with the shoulder feathers, incline more to green. The rump 

 is blue ; the middle tail feathers, as is the case of the two pre- 

 ceding species, are very long, and all the feathers of the tail are 

 blue, bright red at the roots, and tipped with green. 



Observations. This Macaw is a native of South America, 

 though from its scarcity and price in Europe, it cannot be a 

 common bird. It is exceedingly docile and talkative. The 

 specimen which I have seen, imitated every thing that was 

 said, called all the family by name, and was exceedingly obe- 

 dient, faithful, and good-tempered. 



24. THE ILLINOIS PARROT. 



Psittacus Pertinax, LIN. Perruche Illinoise, BUF. Der Illinesische 

 Sittich, BECH. 



Description. This is one of the Parrots most commonly in the 

 possession of the bird-sellers. It is nine inches and a half in 

 length ; the beak is light ash colour ; the eyes are surrounded 

 by a bare grey membrane ; the iris is dark orange ; the feet 

 dark grey. The prevailing colour is green, changing on the 

 lower part of the body to yellowish grey ; the forehead, cheeks, 

 and throat, are a beautiful orange colour ; the top of the head 

 dark green, becoming towards the back lighter and mixed with 

 yellow. The front of the neck is an ashen green ; the belly 

 is spotted with orange ; the pen feathers a blueish green, black 

 on the inner plume, and the five last grass-green. The wedge- 



