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fgEALY f|MAZON. 



Psitticus farinosus. 



Synonyms: Chrysotis farinosa, Bdd.; G. pulverulentus, Swns.; 



G. farinosus, Gr.; Amazona pulverulenta, Lss.; A. farinosa, Schlg. 



German: Der bepuderte Amazonenpapagei, oder die Midler amazone, Rss. 



French: Meunier de Cayenne, Bee.; Perroquet meunier, Lvllt. 



THIS is perhaps the largest of the Amazons, measuring nearly 

 twenty inches in length, of which the tail only occupies about 

 five inches. It is not a handsome bird, and its capacity for uttering 

 the most ear-piercing shrieks imaginable, must be taken as a set-off 

 against its docility and powers of imitation. 



It learns to speak clearly and well, and is extremely gentle as a 

 rule : but the strong beak is often exercised upon the furniture, and 

 if it should happen to bite anyone, either in anger or in fear, the 

 wound inflicted is not a light one. 



It is a native of Brazil, Guiana, and the northern parts of South 

 America generally, but does not extend into the central parts of the 

 dual continent; and is decidedly most numerous in Guiana. 



Not very much is known of the habits of this species in its wild 

 state; but under this heading, Burmeister gives the following brief 

 account, which we extract from Dr. Karl Russ's Die Papageien: — "It 

 is found exclusively in the densest forests, to which it resorts in flocks 

 composed of moderate numbers. In the neighbourhood of Rio and 

 Pamba I saw many of these birds caged and tame.-" 



Latham was the first English writer who described this Parrot, which 

 was scientifically named by Boddaert — Dr. Russ says "in 1873"; but 

 this evidently is an error, as the Mealy Amazon was an inhabitant of 

 the London Zoological Gardens ten years before that date; a specimen 

 having been "deposited" on the 18th. of March, 1863, and two more 

 in 1873, which last may possibly have been those to which the German 

 doctor alludes. 



