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it in a most lackadaisical fashion. Apparentl}' he is impervious

to cold, and is quite happy when his water-dish contains a block

of ice.


The next of my Conures are a little bright green pair with,

orange breasts — Cactus Conures {CoiuLriis cadoriaii). I have

liad them about five years, they don't talk, but are always merrj^

and bright, and seem to have great capacity for enjoying life.

At any time the}' \vill go into a strange sort of ecstas}', jabbering

and fluttering and rushing towards me if I come up to the cage

or aviar}' (for I have at times turned them into an aviar}-), but if

an}' one else is too near they are sh}' and won't do this. When,

however, I have been away for any time, and then reappear, their

delight knows no bounds, all shyness goes, and before any

company the}' continue their jabbering and flutterings as long as

I will look at them.


]M}' fourth Conure is a late acquisition. In Februar}' I

saw% in a grimy little London shop, a St. Thomas' Conure

(^Comtrus pertinax) ; he is slightly larger than the Cactus Conures,

bright green with orange forehead, and back of the head golden.

He is tame and funny, and is said to say a few words very

plainly — but he has not said them to me 3'et. I must confess he

is noisy, especially when he is in my library and can just hear a

party of other parrots out of doors, and another contingent in

another room. It is funny how Parrots, which are fearfully

jealous of each other w^hen in close quarters, never cease to call

and answer each other when separated. The Latin epithet for

this s^ec\QS, pertinax, sounds strange, but I am inclined to think

was not rashly conferred. Through many mornings my bird

screeches with real pertinacity. When alone I am almost

unconscious of such noises, but when friends are announced

certain Parrots as a matter of course are carried out of the room.

The strong health of the Conure tribe is one of their greatest

advantages, and many of them are gaudih^ lovel}-. The

Patagonian, wath his quaint hues of olive, his underparts of

lemon and bright fire-colour, and above all his beautiful flesh-

coloured feet, is a unique Parrot. M}' own Patagonian has

by far more character than any other Parrot I have ever

possessed, and is, I believe, capable of much further education,

but I have too many birds to fully bring out the talents of all.



