122 The Honble. and Rev. Canon Dutton,


the next largest Amazon to Augusta , whose length is given as 19

inches. It is considerably larger than Versicolor , though the

length of that is 16-5 inches. The tail, it will be seen, is rather

long in proportion to the bird.


The size of the bird is a drawback to it as a pet, as it must

have an unusually large cage, but that does not much matter, as

it is not a bird one often can acquire.


And, indeed, now after the eruptions in St. Vincent, every

one who possesses one says, “ Mine is the last of its species.” I

know of five “ last of their species.” One in the Zoo, one

belonging to a lady, my own, and two in the island of St.

Vincent. I had an opportunity of buying one two or three

years ago, but its character was not attractive, and I let it pass

into the hands of Mr. Jamrach.


But the eruption took place since then. If I was to have

it at all, I must “ hurry up,” and being told that a lady wanted

to sell one which talked, and was “ tame and attractive,” I

bought him.


His linquistic attainments were not asserted to be more

than “ Maud,” “ Mother,” and “ Margaret.” I can’t say that I

ever heard him say even these, but my parlour-maid stoutly

averred that one morning he greeted her with “ Hullo, Joseph ! ”

which is his name. Nor can I say that with me he has been

“ tame and attractive.” He sits in a morose lump all day, hardly

eating, and only occasionally climbing about his cage. He gives

one the impression of a bird on its way to become nocturnal, for

he does his eating at night. He cares for nothing special, except

perhaps sponge cake soaked in tea, which he has at five o’clock,

but even that he does not eat with the greed the Versicolor and

Blue-faced Amazons show. And only for that one moment in

the day does he lay aside his readiness to ‘‘go for” me. He

won’t look at a peanut; and apples, which I was told he liked, he

hardly ever touches. But I rather think he is a bird of marked

character, and that he will not forgive being separated from his

mistress.


She told me she had had him five years: that these birds

are shot with cork, which stuns without injuring them, and



