PARROT. 221 



157 —BLUE-HEADED PARROT. 



Psittacus menstruus, Ind. Orn. i. 113. Lin. i. 148. Gm. Lin. i. 345. Scop. Ann. i. 



No. 33. 

 Psitt. guian. cyanoceph. Bris. iv. 247. Id. 8vo. ii. 112. 

 Perroquet a camail bleu, Levail. pi. 115. 

 Papegai a tete et Gorge bleue, Buf. vi. 243. PI. enl. 384. 

 Le Siy, Voy. d'Azara. iv. No. 287. 

 Blue-headed Parrot, Gen. Syn. i. 301. Edw. pi. 314. Shaw's Zool. viii. 540. 



SIZE of the Ash-coloured species. Bill dusky, with a red spot 

 on each side of the upper mandible ; eyes in a dark flesh-coloured 

 skin ; head, neck, and part of the breast ultramarine blue, mixed 

 with a little purple on the last ; on each side of the head a black or 

 dusky spot; back, belly, thighs, and wings fine green ; wing coverts 

 yellow green, inclining to gold-colour ; inner coverts greenish ; under 

 tail coverts fine scarlet; the two middle tail feathers green, those on 

 the sides the same, but gradually become more blue as they advance 

 outwards ; legs grey. 



Male and female much alike. 



Inhabits Guiana, but not common, nor much sought after, as it 

 does not learn to speak ; common at Paraguay, in numerous flocks ; 

 is not fond of oranges, but makes great destruction among the maize 

 fields; the note similar to the word Siy; common in Brazil, where 

 it is called Maitacca. 



In one of these which came under my inspection, the length was 

 eleven inches, It had no dusky spot on the sides of the head ; 

 above the breast a mixture of red ; the side tail feathers, for three- 

 fourths from the base of the inner web, crimson ; the rest of the 

 length and outer web blue, but the four middle feathers green, with 

 blue ends. 



This is found at Berbice, and there called Barizi. The flesh is 

 much esteemed for food. 



