330 BIRDS OF BHITISH GUIANA. 



ol: the f^iiava trees. Durin^r their sojourn there the birds are 

 shot in hu'oe numbers and sold to tlic sctth^rs. It roosts in the 

 depths of the woods, which it leaves in the morning, uttering 

 its call very loudly, and returns in the evening. During the 

 breeding-season it lives in pairs, and one scarcely sees a solitary 

 bird in the woods. Its nests are placed in holes in trees. It is 

 easily tamed and kept as a pet by the natives. The " Macusis '' 

 call it Tarisa and the " Warraus " Toniana. 



Regarding this doubtful sijeciesSchomburgk writes (Reis. Guian. 

 iii. p. 723, Xo. 26-i = Psittacus maa:imiliani) that this beautiful 

 Parrot — like Xo. 2Gd = Pionus menstruus — repairs to the coast in 

 large flocks during October and Xovember, attracted by the ripe 

 fio;s- It is shot in lar;;e numbers and eaten as oame, the flesh 

 being considered very savoury. During the breeding-season it 

 lives in pairs, during which time one seldom meets with it in 

 the woods. It nests in holes in the trees. 



Mr. Beebe (Our Search Cor a Wilderness, p. 157) writes : — "A 

 horde of Blue-headed Parrots were on their way up the coast, 

 (■losely massed though most of them were, yet the eternal two 

 and two formation of the tribe of P;irrots was never lost, and even 

 when the vanguard, terrified by our putHng launch, wheeled and 

 dashed back through the ranks behind, each Parrot flew always 

 close to its mate. The Parrots screamed unceasingly, and near 

 the main bodv the noise was terrific — a shrill deafenino- roar, as 

 from a dozen factory whistles. Until long after dark they flew 

 back and forth aiouiul us. sometimes attempting to alight in a 

 tree and fallinij from branch to branch, almost to the water, 

 before securing, a foot- or beak-hold." 



213. Pionus fuscus. 

 Dusky Parrot. 



Psittacus fuscus P. L. S. Miill. Syst. Xat. Suppl. p. 7S, 177G 



(Cayenne). 

 Pionus violaceus Salvin, Ibis, 1886, p. 501 (Carunang River). 

 Pionus fuscus Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xx. p. 381, 1891 (Bartica 



Grove); Lloyd, Timehri (2) ix. p. 273, 189.j (Essequebo Eiver) ; 



Beebe, Our Search for a Wilderness, p. 344, 1910 (Areiuu) ; 



Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 92, no. 868, 1912. 



Adult male. Back, up]ier wing-coverts, sca|)u]ars, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts black, with pale edgings to the feathers uf tl.e 



