20 



CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



ers furnishes healthy and delicious food, while the feathers of many 

 of them are used as ornaments. 



FIRST ORDER. 



The Parrots — {Psittacini) — Six Groups. 



The anatomical construction of Parrots has many peculiarities. 

 Among these are the joint between the upper mandibie and the 

 front, the fully closed borders of the eye-sockets, the large bones 

 of the palate, and the small neck-bone, which is, in some kinds, as 

 in the Sparrow Parrots, entirely wanting. The breast-plate is quite 

 large, and its high comb projects only a little. Among the soft 

 parts the most remarkable organ, perhaps, is the thick fleshy 

 tongue. The throat widens giadually to a crop, and the glandu- 

 lous fore-stomach is separated by a smooth space from the stomach 

 proper. The gall-bladder is wanting ; the intestines are usually 

 double the length of the body; the milt is small, and the kidneys 

 thin-lobed. The wind-pipe, on the lower larynx, has three pairs 

 of muscles. 



The bill of a parrot bears some resemblance to that of a Hawk ; 

 but it is considerably thicker, stronger, and better formed. The 

 nostrils are in the upper part of a cere or wax-skin, and are per- 

 fectly round. 



The legs are short, strong, and fleshy ; the tarsus shorter than 

 the middle toe, and covered with scales only; the proportionally 

 long toes have a thick sole ; two toes are directed forward, and two 

 backward ; the claws are not long but greatly bent, and are never 

 very strong, yet tolerably sharp-pointed. The bones of the wings 

 are of medium length and very strong ; the large feathers are un- 

 usually numerous, but seldom long, and yet so arranged that the 

 spread wing appears very pointed. The plumage consists of but 

 few feathers, that, with the exception of the head feathers, are dis- 

 tinguished by their compactness. The border around the eye is 

 naked ; but the space between the eyes and the head is generally 

 feathered. A more or less brilliant leaf green is the predominant 

 color, although there are hyacinth blue, purple, golden, yellow, 

 and more darkly colored Parrots. 



All the five senses are uniformly well developed in the Parrots. 

 The Falcons are distinguished by keenness of sight; Owls by that 

 of hearing : Ravens by that of smell, and Ducks by their discrimi- 

 nation of taste. 



Parrots are considered by some as holding a rank among birds 

 similar to that of apes and monkeys among quadrupeds. Like 

 the latter they are imitative, cunning, and mischievous. All the 

 larger kinds of Parrots rise on the wing with considerable diffi- 

 culty ; but their flight is speedy. The smaller ones — for example, 

 the Grass or Sparrow Parrots — fly with the swiftness of Swallows ; 

 the Araras and Paroquets fly quickly, and only the true Parrots fly 

 rather slowly, flapping their short wings in order to propel their 

 plump and heavy bodies. On the ground, Parrots move slowly, 

 and their walk is a mere waddle, although some of the ground Par- 

 rots run like Sandpipers. 



They fly over long distances, and climb over narrow spaces. In 

 the latter case they assist themselves with their bills, while other 

 climbing birds use their feet only. Parrots swim no better than a 

 Robin, and can not dive at all. Their feet are like hands, and 

 their bills, which, in most birds, serve instead of hands, are in 

 Parrots more flexible than in other members of their class. From 

 the use of the bill for the purpose of climbing, which is peculiar 

 to Parrots, one kind of them is called the cross-bill " Pine Parrot." 

 The voice of the Parrot, though generally harsh and unpleasant, is 

 often flexible and expressive. Several of the smaller male Grass 

 Parrots sing to their female mates in such a charming way as en- 

 titles them to be ranked among warblers. Other kinds may be 

 taught to whistle an air, and their capacity for imitating the hu- 

 man voice in the pronunciation of words is well known. 



Parrots inhabit, exclusive of Europe, all the great divisions of 

 the globe ; but are principally found in the warmer regions. An 



American kind is found as far north as the 42d degree of north 

 latitude ; another kind in the dreary deserts of Terra del Fueo-o, 

 in the 53d degree of south latitude. Cockatoos harbor in New 

 Zealand, and in the Maquarie island, under the 52d degree of 

 southern latitude. In China, they are found only below the 27th 

 degree northern latitude, and in India only up to the foot of the 

 Himalaya ; in Eastern Africa, they seldom pass northward beyond 

 the 15th, or in Western Africa beyond the 16th degree of northern 

 latitude. They generally, but by no means exclusively, confine 

 themselves to the woods, as some kinds inhabit the treeless plains. 

 Others live on the Andes above the wood regions, and at a height 

 of 11,000 feet above the level of the sea. Parrots, except in the 

 breeding season, live in society, often in very large flocks; their 

 regular settlements are made in forests, and they daily rove over 

 large districts. They leave their sleeping-places early in the morn- 

 ing, and alight on the same tree to eat of its fruit; they set senti- 

 nels on guard, and at their first warning cry take all at once to the 

 wing. They arrive together at the same sleeping-place, and use 

 it in common. The place is sometimes a hollow tree, a closely 

 leaved tree top, or a hollow in a rock. They seem to choose the 

 closely leaved tree tops also for hiding-places. During a heavy 

 tropical tempest, Parrots may be seen immovably sitting on the 

 highest dry branches of a tree talking cheerfully to each other, 

 while the water is running down their bodies. As soon as the rain 

 is over, they immediately dry and clean their plumage. The 

 color of their plumage is so much like that of the foliage of the 

 tree on which they are hidden, that it is difficult to see a single 

 Parrot, although there may be fifty of them ensconced among the 

 leaves. If one of their number perceives an enemy approaching, 

 he gives a short, subdued warning cry, and the loud chattering of 

 the whole company is at once silenced. They then try to gain by 

 noiseless climbing the side opposite the enemy ; fly just as noise- 

 lessly away, and only begin to scream when about a hundred 

 yards off — more, it would seem, to mock the deceived enemy than 

 for any other purpose. Such a blind-man's-bufF they regularly 

 play, when engaged in robbing a tree of its fruit. All their thiev- 

 ish depredations seem to be generally executed with a similar cun- 

 ning and mockery. 



The food of Parrots consists chiefly of fruits and seeds. Many 

 of the Laris feed exclusively on the honey of flowers. The Ara- 

 ras and Paroquets live also on fruits and seeds, and on the buds 

 and flowers of trees and shrubs. Some Cockatoos add to these 

 the larvas of insects and worms. After feeding they fly to the 

 water to drink and bathe ; they drink a great deal, and sometimes 

 even salt or brackish water ; sometimes they are seen to bathe in 

 the dry sand like chickens. They seem to be very fond of salt, 

 for they are always found about the salt-licks in the forest. The 

 time of incubation is in the season corresponding with our spring. 

 The larger kinds breed but once a year, and never lay more than 

 two eggs. The Australian Grass Parrots, however, lay from three 

 to six eggs, sometimes even eight or nine, and breed twice, and 

 often three times, in one year. The Sittiches and Cockatoos lay 

 from three to four eggs, and breed once a year. The eggs are 

 always white, with a smooth shell, and nearly round. Their nests 

 are chiefly in hollow trees, but some of the American Parrots 

 breed also in the hollows of rocks. 



The Sittiches of India, according to Jerdon, often build their 

 nests in the hollows in the walls of old buildings. The ground 

 Parrots lay their eggs on the bare ground. All Parrots prefer to 

 build their nests in large societies, sometimes in great multitudes. 

 Sometimes a Parrot finds a hollow in a tree, but the entrance into 

 it is too narrow, perhaps made by a small Woodpecker. The fe- 

 male widens the hole with her bill, so that she can inspect the in- 

 side ; if this suits her, she widens the hole still more, hanging 

 like a Woodpecker on the bark, and gnawing rather than cut- 

 ting with her bill, till the hole is completed, which is sometimes 

 the work of several days. The main thing in the construction of 

 the nest is the hollow ; a few chips on the bottom form a sufficient 



