THE BLUE-NECKED PARROT. 147 



rately sized Pigeon. The beak is horn colour, with a long 

 stripe of orange on each side of the upper mandible ; the iris is 

 orange ; the circle of the eyes flesh colour ; the feet the same, 

 but darker ; the claws black. Bound the top of the head and 

 the throat the colour is blue ; the under part of the neck 

 down to the breast red ; the rest of the body green, except the 

 great quill feathers, which are chiefly blue, though a few are 

 red, with blue points. The hinder quill feathers are also 

 green. The tail feathers are half green, inclining at the points 

 to yellow ; the under part of the side feathers towards the 

 base, red. 



Varieties. 1. In some, the head, instead of being red and 

 blue, is red and white. 



2. In others the forehead is scarlet ; the top of the head 

 blue ; under each eye is an orange speck ; the upper edge of 

 the wings light yellow. 



3. In others, the forehead and throat are red ; behind and 

 under the eyes is a patch of blue ; the top of the head is 

 yellowish green ; the under edge of the wing is red ; and the 

 tail has a light yellow point. 



4. In others, the whole body is blackish, except on the 

 breast where the feathers are dark brown, edged with red. 

 This is a very rare variety, possessed by the Duke of Mein- 

 ingen. 



Observations. This bird is a native of Guiana. It does not 

 learn much, and utters a continual cry of " Girr, Gwr /" 



51. THE BLUE-NECKED PARROT. 



Psittacus Mestruus, LIN. Le Papagei a tete et Gorge Bkue, Bur. Der 

 Blauhdlsige Papagei, BECH. 



Description. This rare bird is about the size of the Ashen- 

 grey Parrot (43), and resembles it in form and carriage. The 

 beak is a dark horn colour, marked on each side of the upper 

 mandible with a red spot. The eyes are reddish brown, and 

 the circle round them a grey flesh colour. The head, neck, 

 and a part of the breast are a fine indigo blue, somewhat shot 

 with purple on the breast, while on the side of the head is a 

 black spot. The back, belly, wings, and thighs are green, the 

 feathers on the belly being tipped with blue. The wing co- 



L 2 



