158 
Parrots. 
Parrots. 
By W. Shore Baily. 
(Coiitiiiitccl from page 138). 
The Yellow-headed Conure (C. jciniayaj is, in my 
opinion, the handsomest of the species. I have a dehghtfully 
tame specimen, with which I can do anything. It is, for a bird, 
extraordinarily affectionate. 1 am uncertain of its sex, but am 
inchned to think that it is a male. \ second bird that I recently 
obtained to go with it, differs considerably in colour. My tame 
bird has an all yellow head, whilst the newcomer has a patch of 
orange-red rotmd the eyes and also on the cheeks. It is also less 
bright in general body colour. They are quite friendly with 
each other, and as I shall give them an aviary to themselves they 
will have every opportunity of nesting if they feel so inclined. 
This completes the list of the Conures that 1 have kept 
but I ought perhaps to mention here a pair of their near cous 
ins, the Little or .Severe Macaw (Ara scvcra). These are a 
very hne pair of birds, and are very tame. Their dangerous 
looking beaks make one afraid of handling them, although I 
have no dotibt that with a little care it would be safe to do so. 
They are exactly alike, but I can of coin"se easily distinguish one 
from the other by the difference in their expressions, just as a 
shepherd can tell his sheep. Although they have had an aviary 
to themselves for some years now, they have made no attempt at 
nesting. I occasionally see them playing about in their nes ting- 
barrels, but I am rather afraid that they are both of the same sex 
The Speckled or Cuban Conure (C. cnops). Tliis is a 
handsome bird that looks at its best when flying in a large 
natural aviary, at which times the brilliant scarlet of its ander 
wing coverts shows to great advantage. I kept a pair of these 
birds for nearly three years, but they made no attempt at nest 
ing. Nor have I heard of any one else having any success witli 
them. My pair were constantly kissing and preening, and often 
spent considerable time in their nesting box, but nothing came 
of it. The bird I thought to l)e a male was more heavily splashed 
about the head and neck with red tlian was the female. 1 was 
unable to note any difference in the shape of the beak. A capital 
