96 JAMAICA PARROT. 



This bird has been frequently confounded with its congener, Ghrysotis 

 leucocephala, from the adjacent island of Cuba, from which nevertheless 

 it differs in several material points. The general colour of the body is 

 grass green, the feathers not presenting the deep black edging common 

 to many members of the genus, and especially noticeable in the Cuban 

 bird; the forehead and lobes are white; the top of the head blue or 

 bluish green; the sides of the head, the throat, and sometimes, but 

 not always, the back of the neck ruby red; the upper tail coverts are 

 greenish yellow; the base of the tail feathers with the exception of 

 the central pair, which are wholly green, is scarlet; the beak is yel- 

 lowish horn-colour, the cere greyish white, the legs and feet brownish 

 yellow, and the belly greenish yellow. 



It measures from twelve to thirteen inches in length, of which the 

 tail occupies about four inches; the wings are short, and the bird by 

 no means a strong flyer; a circumstance that favours its destruction 

 by the negroes, with whose oranges and bananas it takes unwarrantable 

 liberties, which Sambo and Quashie naturally resent, and turn the 

 tables on poor Gollaria, by trapping and making her into a stew, and 

 feasting off her small but plump carcase; or selling her into captivity 

 for the remainder of her days. 



This species was first received by the London Zoological Society in 

 1869; since which date several individuals have been added to the 

 collection, the last in 1881. 



As will be seen by the plate it is a handsome bird, and has the 

 further recommendation of being hardy and not noisy. Two of these 

 Parrots which we had under observation for some time were very 

 tame, and showed every inclination to breed, but were, unfortunately, 

 not in circumstances that admitted of their doing so with any prospect 

 of success. There is little doubt, however, that favourably situated, 

 they would breed, and doubtless rear their young to maturity. The 

 eggs are usually three in number, about the size of those of a small 

 Pigeon, and are laid on the bare wood; no attempt at lining or 

 furnishing the nest cavity being made. 



It is said by several writers that the young are usually fed on fruit, 

 particularly bananas, with which they can also be readily hand-reared 

 if taken before their eyes are open, in which case they become very 

 tame. The modus operandi is as follows : — " Sambo, or Dinah, as the 

 case may be, chews a piece of banana to a pulp, and then putting 

 the beak of the young bird into his or her mouth, forces the prepared 

 food into its throat with the tongue/' Whether a European would care 

 to perform the same operation is doubtful, but numbers of young 

 Parrots are annually thus brought up by the negro inhabitants of the 



