THE DEEP BLUE MACCAW. 



ANODORHTNCUS MAZIMILJANI. — SPIX. 



PLATE 9. 



This beautiful bird," says Mr Bennet, " is one 

 of the rarest of its tribe, and has, until very lately, 

 been confounded by ornithologists with the Hya- 

 cinthine Maccaw, a fine but much less splendid 

 species. It is figiu*ed by Mr Spix, in his Brazilian 

 Birds, under the name which we have adopted, but 

 is there given without either characters or des- 

 cription. Its claim to generic distinction, would 

 seem to depend on the excessive length and power- 

 ful curvature of its claws and upper mandible, and 

 on the slight development of the tooth-like process 

 of the latter. Its colour throughout is of a deep 

 and brilliant blue ; the beak, legs, and claws, are 

 black ; and the cere and naked circle round the eyes 

 are of a bright yellow. Our specimen measures 

 two feet four inches from the top of the head to the 

 extremity of the tail, and the expansion of the 

 wings is four feet. The length of the upper mandible 

 is five inches, and that of the lower two.'' 



