138 • WANDERINGS YN' 



Second head is wliite ; his back, tail, and wings, green ; and his 



Journey. 



breast and belly tartan. 



The Ara, Superior in size and beauty to every parrot of South 

 America, the Ara will force you to take your eyes from 

 the rest of animated nature, and gaze at him : his com- 

 manding strength, the flaming scarlet of his body, the 

 lovely variety of red, yellow, blue, and green in his 

 wings, the extraordinary length of his scarlet and blue 

 tail, seem all to join and demand for him the title of 

 emperor of all the parrots. He is scarce in Demerara 

 till you reach the confines of the Macoushi country ; 

 there he is in vast abundance ; he mostly feeds on trees 

 of the palm species. When the Coucourite trees have 

 ripe fruit on them, they are covered with this magnificent 

 parrot : he is not shy or wary ; you may take your blow- 

 pipe and quiver of poisoned arrows, and kill more than 

 you are able to carry back to your hut. They are very 

 vociferous, and, like the common parrots, rise up in 

 bodies towards sunset, and fly two and two to their place 

 of rest. It is a grand sight in ornithology to see thousands 

 of Aras flying over your head, low enough to let you 

 have a full view of their flaming mantle. The Indians 

 find their flesh very good, and the feathers serve for 

 ornaments in their head-dresses. They breed in the 

 holes of trees, are easily reared and tamed, and learn to 

 speak pretty distinctly. 



Another species frequents the low lands of Demerara. 



