2-3


-otily kept oiie Red and Yellow, one H3'aciiitliine, and four Blile

■■aiid Yellows. . •


Why did Beclisteiii say the Blue and Yellow Macaw was


not a good talker? I have never known any Parrot equal it -for

'quick learning and exact imitation of a special voice. I feel

'5ure the Parrot that was said to have preserved a lost language

•must have been a Blue and Yellow Macaw. But then it must be


a cock-bird — the hens would not learn a word. Let all would-be

.'purchasers of Parrots beware of the superstition that sex makes

.no difference to a Parrot's power of speech. In Grey Parrots, I

-admit, the hens talk ; but even in Grey Parrots, I believe, all the


really wonderful talkers have been cock-birds. I have knoWii

-hen Bengal Parrakeets say several sentences, but nothing like


the number the cocks quite commonly master. But certainly

,imy hen Macaws would not learn a word, though kept side by


side with cocks that learnt easily and readily. >


Beclistein gives the Great Green Macaw a good reputation

for talking. I never had one, but those I have seen did not

strike me as talking well. How curious is its trick of blushing!

Does any other animal share with man that most inconvenient

endowment ?


, - Have any of our members kept a Spix ? I have only seen

two— one that our Zoo acquired some years ago from the Jardiii

d'Acclimatation, and one bought by Mr. Rothschild from Mr*.

Jamrach and deposited in the Gardens. They were both ill-

tempered : but as the first had a broken wing, it had probably

been caught old. I was greatly tempted by the offer of one from

Mr. Cross the other day, but there are so many calls on a parson's

purse,. that he cannot always treat himself to expensive parrots.

I ought to have been keeper at the parrot-house in the Zoo.


It would be hard to take away the character of a whole

species on the observation of only two individuals, but if I have

•not yet seen a good-tempered Spix, neither have I ever seen an ill-

tempered Hyacinthine, or Glauca, or lycari. So sure am I always

-of their temper^ that I never hesitate to scratch the heads of these

kinds in the foreign Zoos. I see people looking at me as though

.1 wei'e Daniel in the. lions' den, but truth to say, it is a very cheap

-piece of bravado. Their angelic tempers seem accompanied by

a certain amout of stupidity. I have seen many, but only heard

one talk. And I do not think they have the same individual

attachment that the other Macaws have. They are equally good-

tempered to all the world, but my Hyacinthine did not seem to

make any difference between myself and others.. However, on



