136 
Parrots. 
ently never in pairs. My two specimens agreed very well 
together but they made no pretence at nesting. It is doubtful 
whether they were a true pair. They are very amusing birds and 
one of them, when kept with two Little Macaws, used to play 
with them like a monkey, pulling their tails, nipping their legs, 
and even occasionally attempting to feed them. One of the 
most noticeable features in this species is the extraordinary size 
of their beaks. In this respect they resemble their cousins, the 
Macaws. A bite from one of them is something to be remem- 
bered. On one occasion I allowed one of them to climb on to 
my hand, when it fastened on to my thumb in cpiite a playful 
way. The unfortunate member was out of action for quitf" 
sometime afterwards. One of my birds spoke a few words when 
it felt inclined. 
Another large bird is the Black-he.'vded Conure (C. 
itcndax). This is an extraordinary coloured bird, which looks 
particularly handsome when in Right. For a conure it is not a 
particularly noisy species. I have had two pairs, but although 
the hens spent a great deal of their time in the nesting boxes 
no eggs were laid. The hens are very slightly smaller than 
their mates, and this is the only difference I have been able to 
note in the sexes. Dr. Butler tells us that the beak of the female 
is narrower, and not so deep when seen in profile, but I couM 
not see this difference in my birds. 
The Quaker or Grey-breasted Parrakeet (Myopsit- 
tacus moiiachus ) is one of the most freely imported of the Con- 
ures. It is the only bird amongst the Parrot family that really 
builds a nest. The first pair I had built an enormous house of 
sticks, in which they used to spend the night, but they did not 
breed whilst I had them. The female is said to be larger and to 
have a much more powerful beak. I am unable to substantiate 
this statement, but my birds may have been both hens. This 
bird has bred at freedom as well as in aviaries in this country. 
The Browx-earkd Conure fCoiiiinis ocularis) a species 
which very closely resemliles the BKOWN-TiiKoAri':!.) Coxure (( '. 
acniguiosHS ) is one of the few members of this family that has 
come into my hands, a really true pair, and I was lucky enough 
to breed them in 1915 (see B.N. Vol- VI. New Series). Ther*" 
