362 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Parrots 



slightly curved beak, and the claw of the inner of 

 the two hind-toes is long, straight, and pointed, re- 

 minding us of that of the lark. These birds appear 

 to be of solitary and recluse habits ; they feed on 

 insects, and even small reptiles, and breed in the 

 holes of trees, and are said to perch lengthwise, not 

 across the branch. The Egyptian Coucal (Centropus 

 ./Egyptius) is an example. They are all peculiar to 

 the hotter portions of the Old World. The Malcohas 

 (Phcenicophaus) seem to be confined to India and 

 the adjacent, islands. The bill is stout, longer than 

 the head, and gently curved from the base; the side 

 of the head, for a large space round the eye, is desti- 

 tute of feathers, exhibiting a naked granulated skin. 

 The wings are very short; the tail long and gradu- 

 ated. The Red-he'aded Malcoha of Ceylon (P'hcsni- 

 cophaus pyrrhocephalus) is an example. 



Family PSITTACIDiE (PARROTS). 



Mr, Vigors, Mr. Swainson, and other naturalists, re- 

 gard the parrots as constituting a family of the 

 Scansorial order ; but if structure and modes of life 

 are to be taken as the grounds of arrangement, then 

 the parrots will form as clear and distinct an order 

 as the raptorial birds, or as the Natatores (swimming 

 birds). Nor are we alone in this opinion. The 

 Prince of Canino, in his ' Specchio generale,' places 

 them in the order Psittaci, the first of his subclass 

 Jnsessores ; and M. de Blainville makes them the 

 first order of birds, under the well-chosen title of 

 Prehensores, belonging to the anomalous subclass. 

 Even those ornithologists who, proceeding upon that 

 most artificial of methods styled the natural, qui- 

 nary, or trinary, have formed the parrots into a 

 family group of the Scansores, have felt the dilemma 

 in which they stood. Mr. Vigors declares it as his 

 opinion that the Psittacidae afford more difficulties 

 to the inquirer into affinities than any other group 

 in the known class ; he remarks that in manners 

 and general structure, as well as in the mode of 

 using their feet and bill, the parrots hold nearly an 

 insulated situation among birds, and that they may 

 perhaps be pronounced to be the only group among 

 them which is completely sui generis. Yet because 

 the parrots and the woodpeckers are climbers, par 

 excellence — differing, however, as he states, as to 

 the mode in which they climb — he associates them 

 together, and considers the Barbets (Pogonias) to 

 be the link of union between them. The difference 

 in the external characters of the head of the parrot, 

 with its curved mandibles and fleshy tongue, and 

 that of the woodpecker with its long beak and 

 slender extensile tongue, may be seen in Fisj. 1603. 

 Mr. Swainson is of opinion that the parrots consti- 

 tute the subtypical division of the Scansores, in 

 which the powers of climbing are less developed. 

 If, says that writer, " any group in nature be isolated, 

 it is this. Possessing in themselves the strongest 

 characteristics, there is no bird yet discovered which 

 presents any point of connection to them ; approxi- 

 mations are certainly made by the tooth-billed bar- 

 bets, but still there is a gap which no genus disco- 

 vered is calculated to fill up." If such a group, then, 

 does not constitute an order, what does ? 



The order Prehensores, then, for so we would 

 term it, or the Psittacidaa of authors, is divided by 

 •different naturalists into genera so numerous, that a 

 mere list of them and their synonyms is enough to 

 startle Ihe student, who would find himself be- 

 wildered in a labyrinth of names, tending to con- 

 fuse him more and more at every step : avoiding 

 them altogether, we may observe that the parrots 

 may be arranged in the following groups or sec- 

 tions :— 1, Cockatoos ; 2, Macaws ; 3, Parrakeets, 

 including the Psittacaras, the true Parrakeets, the 

 Loriets or broad tailed Parrakeets, the Lorikets or 

 filamentous-tongued Parrakeets, the Ground Parra- 

 keets, and the Psittacules ; 4, the True Parrots; 5, 

 the Lories. 



1604. — A Group op Parrots. 



This group of parrots is illustrative of some of the 

 forms which these birds offer to the contemplation 

 of the naturalist. Of the cockatoos, are, a, the 

 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Plyctolophus Sulphureus, 

 Vieillot) ; b, the Banksian Cockatoo (Calyptorhyn- 

 chus Banksii, Vigors) : and c, the Goliah Cockatoo 

 (Probosciger Goliath, Kuhl) with naked cheeks. Of 

 the macaws, is d, the great Red and Blue Macaw 

 (Macrocercus Macao). Of the parrakeets, e, the Ca- 

 rolina Parrakeet (Conurus Carolinensis, Kuhl ; /, the 

 Scaled Parrakeet : g, the Black-winged Psittaeule 

 (Psittacula melanoptera) ; h, the Philippine Psitta- 

 eule (Psittacula Philippensis). Of the parrots, i, the 

 Aecipitrine Parrot (Psittacus accipitrinus), and k, 

 the White-headed Parrot (Psittacus leucocephalus). 

 In the parrot tribe, the modification of the bill is 

 very remarkable. In many birds the upper man- 

 dible is more or less moveable at its junction with the 

 forehead, for where there is no trace of a suture, the 

 bone is often slightly elastic* In the parrots, how- 



* In the Rook Hoopoe, Heron, Stork, Woodpecker, Shoveller-duck 

 Sacred Ibis, ice. the tipper mandible is firm and immoveable, as also 

 m the Albatros, Hornbill, and others. 



ever, this mobility is carried out to its fullest extent, 

 a sort of hinge uniting the upper mandible to the fore- 

 head (see Fig. 1605), while the slender bones con- 

 necting the upper mandible to the base of the skull 

 yield to every movement. Across the horny palate 

 of the beak is a sort of notch (see Fig. 1606), against 

 which the front margin of the lower beak works, and 

 this margin, chisel-like, is sharp and thin ; while the 

 articulation of the lower mandible is as loose as 

 possible. Hence, aided by the thick fleshy tongue, 

 a parrot, as we have often seen, will by means of its 

 beak clear the inside of a fresh pea from the outer 

 skin, rejecting the latter: and perform the whole 

 process not only with facility but with the greatest 

 delicacy of manipulation, if this term be allowable. 

 In all birds, as a rule, the margin of the orbit is in- 

 complete. In the parrot the bony ring varying in 

 breadth is complete, and below it runs the slender 

 bone connecting the upper mandible with the os 

 quadratum (see Fig. 1605). The lower mandible is 

 light, thin, and deep. The tongue is thick, muscular, 

 and in Constant requisition ; it is covered with papil- 

 lae, is moistened with saliva, and possesses both taste 

 and great mobility. In the lorikets (Trichoglossus) 

 however, which feed on the nectar of the flowers of 

 the Eucalypti in Australia, it is furnished with a 

 brush of delicate close-set filaments. 



We need not say that birds have no teeth, yet 

 Geoffroy St. Hilaire. in his ' Theory of Analogues,' 

 says, that though it may be considered a piece of 

 pleasantry to assert that fowls have teeth, he finds 

 proofs that such is Ihe fact, notwithstanding the 

 weight of authority against him. To this opinion 

 he was led in the first instance by examining the 

 beaks of two chicks of the ring parrakeet (Palseornis 

 torquatus), which, though matured, had not. been able 

 to break through the egg-shell. In the beaks of 

 these younglings he observed a regular set of tooth- 

 like projections, or, as he states, teeth, represented 

 at Fig. 1607. a, a lateral view of both mandibles 

 showing the teeth : b and c, the upper and under man- 

 dible viewed, the first from beneath, the latter from 

 above ; d, the serrations or teeth on the beak of the 

 blue macaw, which M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire subse- 

 quently observed, and which are more fully repre- 

 sented at Fig. 1608: a, the upper mandible; b, the 

 lower bisection to show the teeth ; c, a portion of the 

 beak, showing the serrations worn down by use. 

 In the instance of the parrakeet chicks M. Geoffroy St. 

 Hilaire could trace nerves and blood-vessels running 

 towards each toothlet ; but in the adult macaw, the 

 tube in which these had apparently lain while the 

 bird was a nestling was filled with a cartilaginous 

 substance. The fact is that these are not real teeth, 

 but only indications of a structure much more 

 amply developed in the beak of the duck tribe, 

 which is furnished with a series of horny laminae 

 acting as strainers, and perhaps as feelers, and which 

 are part and parcel of the horny sheath of the os- 

 seous mandible (see Fig. 1609). a, the upper man- 

 dible of the shoveller-duck (Rynchapsis clypeata) : 

 b, the lower mandible of the common duck. These 

 appendages in the duck are rather the analogues 

 of the baleen plates of the whale, than of teeth ; 

 and in the parrot, as from examination we can tes- 

 tify, they seem rather to indicate the progressive 

 growth of the horny beak in the upper mandible, 

 and evidence the passage of nerves and blood-vessels 

 to the edge of the lower. We have before us the 

 skulls of several macaws and parrots, adult, of 

 which the lower mandible has its horny edge very 

 clearly marked ; while the hooked palatal part of 

 the upper, anterior to the notch, is marked with 

 lines obliquely running from a central line, like 

 arrow-heads repeated, "the apex of each pointing 



backwards, thus — 1^^> The nostrils in the 



parrots are seated in a membranous cere at the 

 base of the upper mandible. 



Often, as in the macaws (see Fig. 1610), the 

 cheeks are covered with naked skin. 



The foot of the parrot is completely zygodactyle 

 and prehensile (see Fig. 1611) ; the tarsus is short, 

 but stout, and the limb muscular; the toes are long 

 and furnished with strong claws, and are formed ex- 

 pressly for holding or grasping any object which 

 they can enclose. In climbing, the parrot uses its 

 hooked beak, as well as its feet, and in feeding, it 

 rests on one foot, holding the food to its beak with 

 the other. Compare the foot of the parrot with that 

 of the fowl, and of the water-bird (Fig. 1612), and 

 the difference will be at once appreciated. The 

 plumage of the parrots is in general richly tinted, 

 and some species are superb ; in all, and particu- 

 larly in the cockatoos, the skin throws off a mealy 

 powder, which saturates the feathers, and commu- 

 nicates to them somewhat of a greasy feel ; this is 

 the case with other birds also, as eagles and herons. 

 The parrots are a noisy race, associating together in 

 flocks, and feeding upon fruits, buds, seeds, See. ; 

 they sleep crowded together, and are fond of prun- 

 ing each other's plumage ; they are monogamous, 

 the pairs forming lasting associations; and they 



breed in the hollows of trees. With respect to 

 powers of flight, they vary considerably ; some fly 

 slowly, but others wing their way with the greatest 

 rapidity, and for a long continuance. It is to the 

 warmer climates more particularly that these birds 

 are confined ; and they are abundant in the inter- 

 tropics. In the southern hemisphere, however, they 

 occur in temperate latitudes, while in the northern 

 hemisphere they are rare beyond the tropic of Can- 

 cer ; the Carolina parrot, in America, and some of 

 the genus Palseornis in India, however, are ex- 

 tratropical. On the contrary, parrots occur in the 

 southern extremity of America, throughout New 

 Holland, Van Diemen's Land, New Zealand, and 

 even in Macquarrie Island, in the fifty-second degree 

 of south latitude. 



Of all birds, parrots are the most susceptible of 

 being rendered tame and familiar ; and towards 

 their protectors they often manifest great attach- 

 ment, courting their notice and caresses ; they are 

 decidedly the most intelligent of the feathered race ; 

 and are quick in learning to repeat words, sentences, 

 and tunes: they mimic the voices of other animals, 

 the barking of dogs, the mewing of cats, and the 

 crowing of poultry ; their memory is retentive, and 

 their ear is accurate. Individuals, however, differ 

 in their qualifications, and some species are superior 

 to others in the facility with which they learn their 

 lessons, the grey parrot of Africa (Psittacus erytha- 

 cus) being pre-eminent. 



In the classical writings of antiquity we have several 

 references to these birds, which appear to have been 

 great favourites and in general request. Aristotle 

 well described their tongue as resembling that of 

 man, whence, as he conjectured, arose the facility 

 with which they pronounced words or sentences. The 

 Greeks were the first of European nations who be- 

 came acquainted with birds of the parrot tribe, viz. 

 some of the species of the Indian genus Palseornis 

 (parrakeets) ; these from all accounts were intro- 

 duced into Europe from India at, the time of the 

 Macedonian conquest. ; and having been once brought 

 into Greece, the great demand for them, and the 

 high prices for which they sold, rendered the impor- 

 tation of them a profitable speculation. Aristotle 

 calls the parrot 'ivSiKvbv opveov, or Indian bird. 



From Greece the parrot soon found its way to 

 Rome, and became extravagantly admired. It was 

 kept in cages of the most costly materials, nor was 

 any price, however inordinate, deemed beyond its 

 value. Until the time of Nero, the Romans were 

 not acquainted with the parrots of Africa ; but as 

 that country became more known, these birds with 

 other natural productions were sent to Italy ; and 

 most probably it was from that quarter that the 

 numbers of the parrot race were imported which at 

 a subsequent period supplied the luxury of Helio- 

 gabalus. Among other articles in the bill of fare 

 detailed by iElian as entering into the feasts of this 

 emperor, are the combs of fowls, the tongues of pea- 

 cocks and nightingales, the brains of flamingoes and 

 thrushes, the heads of parrots and pheasants, and it 

 is reported that with the bodies of the two latter he 

 fed his beasts of prey. 



In captivity the parrot lives long ; instances are on 

 record of individuals attaining the age of eighty 

 or one hundred yeacs. We know a green South 

 American parrot said to have been ninety years in 

 the family, and is still in good health. 



From these general remarks we shall at once pro- 

 ceed to our pictorial specimens. 



1613.— The Blue and Yellow Macaw 



(Macrocercus Ararauna). — The macaws are natives 

 of the warmer regions of South America, and are 

 among the largest of the parrot race. They are 

 easily domesticated, and become very gentle and 

 familiar, but in their powers of imitation they fall 

 very short of the true parrots and parrakeets ; their 

 natural cries are harsh, discordant, and piercing, and 

 the few words they are occasionally taught to utter 

 are pronounced in a disagreeable tone. The beak 

 is of enormous size and strength ; the cheeks are to 

 a greater or less extent bare ; the nostrils are con- 

 cealed; the under mandible is very deep. The 

 plumage is remarkable for gaudy colouring. The 

 blue and yellow macaw is a native of Brazil, 

 Guiana, and Surinam, tenanting the swampy forests 

 along the banks of rivers, and generally Jiving in 

 pairs, though sometimes they assemble in large 

 flocks. The food of this species consists principally 

 of the fruit of a kind of palm abundant in humid or 

 marshy places. On the wing the blue and yellow 

 macaw is rapid, displaying great address and ease 

 in its aerial movements, and is often seen skimming 

 over the tops of the loftiest trees, the highest 

 branches of which it selects for its roosting-place. 

 Like the parrots generally, this macaw lays two 

 white eggs in the hollow of a decayed tree ; both 

 sexes attend to the duty of incubation, and to the 

 labour of rearing the young. Two broods are said 

 to be produced annually. 

 The colouring of this species is as follows : — Bill 



