69 



Ied and 'Blue #!acaw. 



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Psittacus macao, Lin., Russ. 



Synonyms: Ara macao, L.Z.S.; Psittacus erythrocyaneus, Gssn.; 



Psittacus aracanga, Gml.; Macrocercus aracanga et macao, Vll.; 



Sittace aracanga, Wgl.; Sittace macao, Fnsch. 



German: Der hellrothe Arara. French: L'ara rouge, Buffon. 



THIS grand bird is, without a doubt, king of all the Macaws: his 

 gigantic size, forty inches in length, twenty-four of which belong 

 to the tail, his immense beak, and formidable claws, not to say talons, 

 his deafening outcries, his gorgeous plumage, and voracious appetite, 

 are qualifications in right of which he is raised to the Macrocercian, 

 if not exactly to the Psittacidean, throne, to which not one of his 

 congeners, we imagine, will venture to dispute his title. 



He is docile, gentle even, and teachable to a very great extent. 

 "They learn to repeat many words ", says Bechstein, "to go and come, 

 and also to obey the least signal from their master.-" 



But that great master of bird-lore was not fond of the bird never- 

 theless, for he continues: "I confess, however, that their awkward 

 walk, their heavy movements, and their constant inclination to help 

 themselves along with their beak, added to their great uncleanliness, 

 does not appear very agreeable." 



The latter objection might be readily met by feeding the Red and 

 Bine Macaw on a more natural diet than that usually assigned to it, 

 to wit, "bread and milk sop", which was the recognised food of these 

 birds even in Bechstein's time, for, writing on this subject, he says: 

 "In its native country the fruit of the palm tree is its principal food; 

 our fruit it also likes, but white bread soaked in milk agrees with it 

 better; biscuit does not hurt it; but meat, sweetmeats, and other 

 niceties are very injurious: and though at first it does not appear to 

 be injured, it becomes unhealthy, its feathers stand up separate, it 



