126 THE BLUE-HEADED PAKHOT. 



shaped tail is green, the centre feathers being uniform in 

 colour; the others bordered partly with ashen grey, partly 

 with light yellow. 



In the female, the forehead is dark yellow, and the yellow 

 mottling on the back of the head and belly is wanting. 



Habitat. These birds are natives of Brazil, Guiana, and 

 Cayenne, where they frequent heaths and other open places, 

 and build in the holes of the Termites. They -are very so- 

 ciable, and are often seen in flocks of 500 ; appointing, when 

 engaged in feeding, one as a sentinel, who gives notice by his 

 cry of the approach of an enemy. In confinement, a pair are 

 usually put together in a large cage of brass wire. They are 

 very affectionate, and one often dies of grief at the loss of the 

 other. 



Food. Their food, in a wild state, consists of chestnuts, 

 acorns, peas, &c. In confinement they are fed on bread soaked 

 in milk, and nuts. 



Attractive Qualities. The beauty of their plumage, amiable 

 disposition, and natural affection, are the qualities which 

 chiefly recommend these parrots to the bird-fancier ; as their 

 talking powers are very limited, and the cry which they con- 

 tinually utter by no means agreeable. 



25. THE BLUE-HEADED PAHKOT. 



Psittacus CyanocephalitSf LIN. Perruche a tete bleue, BUF. Der 

 blankopfige Sittich, BECH. 



Description. This handsome and not uncommon Parrot is 

 about the size of a Turtle-dove, being eleven inches and a half 

 in length ; of this the tail, in the middle of which meet the 

 folded wings, measures six inches. The upper mandible is 

 light yellow, tipped with light ashen grey, the, lower uniformly 

 ashen grey. The naked circle of the eye is yellow, the upper 

 part of the body green, the lower part yellowish green. The 

 forehead is tinged with red, the head blue, the throat violet, 

 tinged with ashen grey, the sides of the throat dark yellow. 

 The pen feathers are green, though ashen grey on the inner 

 plume and at the points. The two centre tail-feathers are 

 greenish, passing at the point into blue. The next are similar, 

 but bright yellow on the inside. The four outside feathers 

 are green on the outer plume, on the inner dark yellow. 



