212 PARROT. 



coverts, and vent bright glossy sea green; beginning of the back, 

 and wings greenish brown, the ends of the feathers glossed with deep 

 green ; under wing coverts the same ; greater quills and tail brown ; 

 edges of the shoulders, bastard wing, and thighs orange, or marigold 

 colour; the upper tail coverts reach half-way on the tail, and the 

 orange of the thighs half way on the shins ; the quills, when closed, 

 nearly reach to the end of the tail ; legs dusky. 



The female differs in the colours being less bright. 



Inhabits the eastern parts of Africa, in the deep forests, rarely 

 advancing so far south as the Cape of Good Hope ; feeds on fruits, 

 very fond of the wild cherry ; breeds in the hollows of trees, or in 

 that of a rock ; the female lays four eggs, on a kind of nest made of 

 dry leaves, moss, or decayed wood ; the young covered at first with 

 greyish white down ; gain the complete plumage in about six weeks, 

 and at the end of two months begin to feed and shift for themselves. 

 In the rainy season these birds change their quarters, passing into 

 higher latitudes; they are to be met with frequently at Koks Kraal 

 River, at which place numbers of them come to drink. 



A fine specimen in the collection of Lord Stanley. 



144— BLACK PARROT. 



Psittacus niger, Ind. Orn.i. 111. Gm. Lin. i. 336; Klein, p. 25. Gerin. iii. t. 128. 



Bris. iv. 317. Id. 8vo. ii. 129. 

 Le Vasa, ou Perroquet noir, Buf. vii. 119. pi. iv. PL enl. 500. 

 Petit Vasa, Levail. Perr. pi. 82. Shaiv's Zool. viii. 529. 

 Black Parrot of Madagascar, Gen. Syn. i. 264. Edw. pi. 5. 



LENGTH thirteen inches and a half. Bill and cere light flesh- 

 colour; eyes in a bare white skin; irides dark brown; the whole 

 head and body dusky bluish black, except the upper part of the 

 wings, which is dark ash-colour ; tail five inches and a half long ; 

 legs dull flesh-colour ; claws black. 



