3^4 HYACINTHINE MACCAW. 



repeat my former description. The colour of this 

 bird is the richest and deepest mazarine blue, uni- 

 formly diffused over the whole plumage ; except 

 that on the edges of the wings and the forehead is 

 a very slight tendency to a sea-green or blueish- 

 green cast: the under surface of the wings and 

 tail is black ; the beak is most uncommonly large 

 and strong, and considerably exceeds those of the 

 Macao and Ararauna : it is totally black : the legs 

 and feet are also black, and extremely strong: 

 the orbits or bare spaces round the eyes are of a 

 deep yellow, and the base of the lower man- 

 dible is surrounded by a bare skin of the same 

 colour : the general proportions of this magnificent 

 bird are the same as in the two species above- 

 mentioned. Nothing certain is known relative to 

 its native country ; but it may be presumed that, 

 like the rest of the large Maccaws, it is an inha- 

 bitant of South-America. It may be added, that 

 the specimen in the Leverian Museum was pro- 

 bably the first of its kind ever brought into Eu- 

 rope, and before its introduction into the Leverian 

 Museum, had been in the possession of the then 

 Lord Orford, with whom it lived a considerable 

 time. I have been informed that a second spe- 

 cimen was some time afterwards brought to Lis- 

 bon, and was presented to the Queen of Portugal. 

 It is therefore probable that the bird is of Bra- 

 silian origin. It is remarkable that it differs from 

 the rest of the Maccaws in having the cheeks co- 

 vered with feathers. 



