ii6 



PARROTS. 



feathered; and they are further characterised by the rather swollen form of 

 the beak, which is not in the least degree compressed, while the lower mandible 

 is broad and not grooved. In the typical conures, or those included in the 

 genus Conurus, the fourth primary feather of the wing is attenuated, and 

 the nostrils are exposed; whereas in the Carolina conure (Conuropsis) the 

 corresponding feather is not narrowed, and the nostrils are concealed among 

 the feathers covering the cere. Various shades of green, yellow, and orange 

 may be described as the prevalent colours of the conures, although there is 



CAROLINA CONURE (J nat. size). 



frequently more or less blue on the quills of the wings, while there may be red on 

 the head and breast ; the under-parts are, however, never blue. In the Carolina 

 conure, which measures 12i inches in length, the general colour is green, becoming 

 yellowish on the under-parts ; while the forehead and cheeks are orange-red, and 

 the rest of the head and neck bright yellow. Spots of orange-red with patches of 

 yellow adorn the shoulders ; and the outer webs of the quills are bluish green, 

 becoming yellow at the base. The true conures, of which there are no less 

 than twenty-eight species, range from Mexico, through Central America and 

 the West Indies, to Bolivia and Paraguay. Formerly, the Carolina conure had 



