on Aviculture in Georgetozvn, Demercira.



35



addition to sugar cane and maize, private owners also give tlieir

Parrots red and green capsicum, plantain, and bread soaked in

coffee. Plantains are a kind of bananas, but harder and less

sweet than the latter. There is a foolish superstition amongst

the natives that bananas prevent linguistic ability in Parrots;

and that they will kill the bird if persistently given.


Other Amazons commonly kept are the Yellow-fronted

(Chrysalis ochrocephala ) called the “ Amazon,” and the Mealy (C.

fcirinosa ) or “ Saurama.”


The Red-vented Parrot (Pionus menstruus), and less

frequently the Dusky (A*, fuscus ) and the Black-headed Caique

(Caica melanocephala )—always hand-reared by the aborigines—

are sometimes on view. A red-vented which I possessed used

to spend more time outside its cage than in it; and became

rather a nuisance by caressing my face when I was asleep. The

Hawk-headed Caique (Deroptyzcs accipitrinus) is rare. One be¬

longing to a negress used to have its liberty in a tree over her

house ; and although I offered her a good price, she refused to

sell. When I called sometime afterwards to increase my offer, I

found the bird had died ; and upon my saying “ It serves yon

right,” she acquiesced with a broad grin, disclosing a lovely set

of teeth.


There are generally a few Macaw's on view, the commonest

being the Blue and Yellow (Ara ararauna), I had one which

was so tame it would follow me about outside. A fine pair of

the Red and Blue ( A. macao ) are at liberty in the splendid

Botanical Gardens; spending the day in the trees, and retiring

at night to the shelter of an aviary. The Red and Yellow (A.

chlorop ter a),Hahn 's (A. hahni), and another small green species

called the “Eta” Macaw (named A. macavuanna in the local

museum, but which I have been unable to verify elsewhere) are

also occasionally to be seen. Two young ones of the last-named

species were fed for weeks and reared by my tame Red-vented

Parrot, already mentioned ; and very comical it was to see them

running about the floor after their smaller foster-parent, which

regurgitated the food for their benefit in proper parrot fashion.


Of Conures, the Yellow (Conurus solstitialis), called locally

the “ kissi-kissi,” and the Blue-winged (Pyrrhura picta ) or



