MACAWS. 



113 



Hyacinthine From their large size, the length of their tails, and the gorgeous 



Macaw. tints of blue, red, and yellow adorning their plumage, the macaws are 



the most showy and conspicuous of all the parrots ; but they have the disadvantage 



of being the most noisy of the whole confraternity, and are therefore far from 



0^ 



'"^-^M-h 



HYACINTHINE MACAW (1 uat. size). 



desirable in the house. By many writers the whole of them are included in a single 

 genus, but Count Salvadori considers that they may be divided into three generic 

 groups. The hyacinthine macaw {Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), from Central 

 Brazil, of which a figure is given on the left side of our coloured Plate, is the best 

 known representative of a small genus, characterised by the general colour of the 

 plumage being blue both above and below, while the lores are feathered. In the 

 figured species the whole plumage is of a nearly uniform cobalt-blue, becoming a 

 little lighter on the head and neck, and somewhat duller below, while the under 

 surface of the wings and tail is black. In marked contrast to the prevailing 

 azure, stands out the yellow of the naked skin surrounding the eye and at the 



VOL. IV. — 8 



