The IIyacinthine Maccaw.- 



-BIRDS.- 



-TiiE Alexandiuxe I'akkoqi^et. 



375 



the coffee plantations, where it does an immense amount 

 of damage hy devouring the berries. In captivity it is 

 said to be tolerably docile, but to exhibit the most vio- 

 lent jealousy if its owiier should bestow any kindness 

 upon anoUier pet, especially if the latter be a member 

 of the parrot tribe. 



THE HYACINTHnrE MACCAW (Macroecrcus hyacin- 

 //liuiis) differs considerably in its appearance from the 

 ])receding species, its [ihunage being of a rich hyacin- 

 tbinc blue, with the quill-feathers of the wings and tail 

 violet-blue, glossed with gi'cen. The naked cheeks and 

 the chin are yellow, and the bill and feet are black. 

 This beautiful bird, which is a native of Brazil, does 

 not appear to be so abundant there as some of the other 

 maccaws; at least it is far less frequently unported into 

 luirope. Its length is about twenty-eight inches. 



THE YELLOW PARROftUET [Conunis solstiliaHs) — 

 riato 15, fig. 50 — is one of the maccaw parroquets just 

 alluded to, which differ from the true maccaws in the 

 smaller size of the bill, and of tlie naked space on the 

 cheeks. Like the maccaws, these birds have a long, 

 graduated taU. The Yellow Parroquet is remarkable 

 in this group, as being the only known species of tliis 

 gi'oup of naked-cheeked parrots which is found out of 

 America, it being a native of Western Africa, whence, 

 however, it has been introduced into Brazil, where it is 

 now met witli in a wild state. It measures about eleven 

 inches ia length, and is of a yellow colour above, and 

 orange beneath ; the top of the head is also orange; the 

 wing-quills are margined with gi'cen and tipped with 

 blue ; the two middle feathers of the tail are green with 

 blue tips, and the rest of the tail-feathers are blue. 



THE GUliHA PARROQUET [Conurus guianensis) is 

 a native of Guiana, and of other parts of tropical 

 America, including the West Indian islands. It is about 

 twelve inches long, and of a gi'een colour, spotted with 

 red on the cheeks ; the lesser under wing-coverts are 

 scarlet, and the gi'eater ones yellow. This bird flies in 

 large flocks, and is described as very injurious to the 

 cofl'ee plantations. In captivity it is said to exhibit a 

 greater aptitude for leaniing to speak than any other 

 parroquet ; and Le Vaillant mentions his haWng seen 

 a specimen so accomplished as to be able to say the 

 Lord's prayer in Dutch, at the same time folding its 

 feet together in the attitude of devotion. 



THE PATAGONIAN PARROT {Coiuinis patagonicuij, 

 although not by any means remarkable for the beauty 

 of its plumage, is worthy of notice on account of its 

 advancing so far from the tropics as the southern extre- 

 mity of the American continent. It is commonly met 

 with m Paraguay, Buenos Ayres, and Chili, inhabiting 

 the mountains at considerable elevations, especially in 

 tlie summer, but descending towards the autumn nearer 

 to the plains, where it collects in great flocks, and often 

 docs much injury to the cultivated grotmds. Its general 

 colour is a grajnsh-green, but the sides of the abdomen 

 are yellow, and its centre bright scarlet. The total 

 length of this bird is about seventeen inches. 



THE CAROLINA PARROQUET [Conurus caroUnensis). 

 — Of the numerous other species of this genus we need 

 only notice the Carolina PaiToquet, which is indigenous 

 to the LTnited States of North America, and advances 

 as fiir as the shores of Lake Jlichigan. It is fourteen 



inches in length, and its general colour is a bright silky 

 green ; the forehead and cheeks are reddish-orange, and 

 the neck rich yellow. The Carolina Parroquets are 

 found in Mexico, and extend thence through the central 

 valley of North America to the temperate regions; they 

 appear to be pennanently resident even in the latter, 

 as WUson states that he had seen them on the banks 

 of the Ohio in Febniary, flying about in a snow storm. 

 They are sociable birds, flying in large flocks, and 

 exhibiting a great deal of fondness for each other; they 

 may be seen sitting close together, and scratching each 

 other's heads most affectiouately. Their favourite food 

 consists of the seeds of various plants, especially those of 

 the cockle-burr {Xanthium strumarium), cypress, hack- 

 berry, and birch; and it is partly to the abundance of 

 these in the valley of the Mississippi, that Wilson attri- 

 butes the restriction of the parroquets to that tract of 

 countr}'. They are also exceedingly fond of resorting 

 to the salt springs or salt licks which abound in the 

 same region ; these they visit, for the purpose of diink- 

 ing the water, early in the morning, usually about an 

 hour after sunrise. They come in great flocks ; and, 

 on alightuig on the ground, they give it the appearance 

 of being covered witli a carpet of the most vivid green, 

 orange, and yellow tints. 



THE ALEXANDRINE PARROftUET [rala-orms Alcx- 

 audi-'i). — Amongst the parroquets of the Old World, 

 which, unlike the preceding, have no naked skin tqion 

 the sides of the face, several species inhabiting India 

 and its islands have been formed into a genus called 

 Palceornis by Vigors, from some of its members haviug 

 been evidently the paiTots best known to the ancients. 

 The present species is indeed supposed to be the only 

 one known to the Greeks, having been brought from 

 India by the followers of Alexander the Great, from 

 which circumstance it has received its specific name. 



The Alexandrine Parroquet, an elegant and fovom ite 

 species, is fifteen inches in length, including its long, 

 graduated tail ; its body is about the size of that of a 

 pigeon. Its general colour is a beautiful bright green, 

 paler beneath ; the lesser wing-coverts are purplish-red, 

 and across the back of the neck is a beautiful collar of 

 the same colour, boimded above by a black line, which 

 is continued up on each side to the base of the lower 

 mandible. The bill is bright orange-red. This beau- 

 tiful bird is abundant in all parts of India, especially in 

 the hilly districts, and also occurs in great numbers in 

 Ceylon. The J'oung are easily tamed, w-hen they become 

 very docile, and may be easily taught to speak a few 

 words. 



THE ROSE-RINGED PARROaUET {Palaornis lorqua- 

 tus) is stUl more abundant in India than the preceding 

 species, and is fond of dwelling in the vicinity of human 

 habitations, frequently even breeding in the cavities of 

 buildings. It is about the same size as the Alexandrine 

 Parrroquet, and like it of a fine gi-een colour; it has the 

 throat and a collar black, and the band on the back of 

 the neck is rose colour. It is said to be very destruc- 

 tive to the grain crops in India. 



THE MALACCA RING PARROQUET (Palaornis lotuji- 

 cauda) is another green species, but in this bird the 

 whole of the checks and back part of the neck are of a 

 deep rose colour, bounded beneath by a pair of broad 



