3:^8 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



forehead dull crimson followed by yellowish green ; a patch on 

 the throat and sides of crown blue with a tinge of the same colour 

 on the nape ; sides of face green tinged with blue ; under wing- 

 coverts and quill-lining bluish green. Iris red. 



Total length 300 mm., culmeu 32, wing 213, tail 97, tarsus 23. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. Wing 201 mm. 



The descriptions of the male and female are taken from examples 

 in the British Museum ; the male was collected at Elvira, E. Peru, 

 bv J. Hauxwell, on the 30th of December, 1876 — Sclater collection, 

 and the female lived in tiie Zoological Society's Gardens and is 

 said to have come from Guiana — Sclater collection. 



Breeding-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 



Xest. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British Guiana. Unrecorded. 



Kxtralimital Range. Northern Brazil, Venezuela, East Peru. 



IJahits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 724) that this 

 bird is less common than the preceding species (Toidt jnirjmrata, 

 p. 337). It is somewhat more numerous along the Rio Branco 

 and the Rio Negro. In the former place he found it a common 

 bird kept in confinement by the natives. It is, no doubt, the most 

 intelligent of the South American Parrots. He had seen indi- 

 viduals that could whistle long tunes and talk most excellently. 

 Even the Indians prize it considerably more than any of the other 

 species. Its mode of life and habits are the same as those of 

 other Parrots. 



Genus PIONUS Wagl. 



Fionus Wagler, Monogr. Psitt. p. -497 ; Abhan. :Mat]i. Pliys. K. B. Akad. 

 Mun. vol. i. 1830. Type P. menstruus (Linn.). 



This fifenus is characterized bv the absence of the tufted oil- 

 gland, the nearly square tail, the red under tail-coverts, and the 

 orbital ring complete. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Back, abdomen, and under wing-ooverts 



green P. vienstniiis, p. 329. 



B. Back black ; abdomen crimson-lilac ; under 



wing-coverts blue P. fusciis, p. 330. 



