298 BIRDS OF BRITISH Gl'IAXA. 



xi. p. 7, 1897; Eeebe, Our Search for a "Wilderness, pp. 137, 338, 

 1910 (Barima, AremuJ ; Brabtmrne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 79, 

 no. 732, 1912. 



"Cararawa" (^Llorjd). 



Adult female. Upper parts verditer-blue, including the head, 

 back, wings, and tail ; under surface orange-yellow ; sides of face 

 and chin naked with a few short feathers in front and under the 

 e3'e, which joins up with a dark patch on the throat. 



Total length 810 mm., culmen 07, wing 360, tail 505, tarsus 31, 

 middle toe and claw 59. 



The female from which the description is taken was collected 

 at Mahaikony River. 



Adult male. Similar in colour of plumage to that of the adult 

 female, but rather larger. AVing 380 mm. 



Breed'uui-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 



Nest. " Frequently seen on the Savannalis, where it breeds, 

 making its nest in the dead trunks of the Eta Palm " (Lloyd). 



-Euf/s. " The Indians say that its eggs are speckled, but we were 

 never able to prove the truth of this statement^' (Llo>/d). 



Range in British Guiana. Mahaikony Kiver (McConnell collec- 

 tion) ; Barima River, Aremu River (Bethe) ; Ui)per Essequebo 

 River (Bi'own) ; Abary River (Quelcli) ; Maliu and Takutu 

 Rivers, Pacaraima Mountains (Schomburc//c). 



£d'tralimital Range. Brazil, Colombia, Eastern Pern, Bolivia, 

 Paraguay. 



Habits. Schoniburgk states (Reis. Guian. ii. p. 79), that the 

 pitter-patter sound caused by the falling of the shells of the fruit of 

 the palms revealed to us the presence of a lot of Parrots eagerly 

 satisfying their hunger on the ripe fruit — in fact, it sounded as if 

 a cloud loaded with shot emptied its contents on the monster leaves 

 of the Ravenala-plant. 



Schomburgk (o/>. cit. iii. p. 730) says: — In mode of life and 

 habits this gorgeous Ara is identical with A. ai-acanga = A. macao, 

 p. 299 ; it is, however, more common than the last-named species. 

 I fouud it very common on the borders of the rivers Malm and 

 Takutu, decoyed thither, no doubt, by the abundance of ripe fruits 

 of the palms belonging to the genera Astrocari/um, Bactris, and 

 Maximiliana. They must be very common on the Savanna region 

 and the Pacaraima Mountains, as the natives there possessed 

 numerous beautiful adornments made of feathers belonging to 

 this species only, and I saw many kept in confinement. They are 



