218 
YERTEBRATA. 
this species was tanglit to speak "by a sailor, in the course of a voyage from Guinea, and acquired 
so exactly liis liarsh voice and cough as to be frequently mistaken for him. It was afterward in- 
structed by a young man, and although it then heard no voice but that of its teacher, the former 
lessons were never forgotten ; and it often amused the bystanders by suddenly passing from a soft 
and agreeable voice to its old hoarse sea-tone. This bird has not only the power of mimicking 
the human voice, but by its attention and manifest effort, shows also a desire of imitation. It 
continually repeats the syllables which it has heard, and, in order not to be misled in memory, 
endeavors to cry down all sounds which may disturb it. Its lessons make so deep an impression 
that it often dreams aloud. When young, its memory is so good as to retain whole verses and 
sentences. Rhodiginus mentions a Gray Parrot which could repeat the Apostles' Creed without 
a slip, and was on that account bought by a cardinal for one hundred crowns. 
The Common Amazon Parrot, P. oestivus, size of a pigeon ; colors various, yellow and blue 
generally prevailing, with green, red, violet, blue, and black ; sociable and faithful, but learns to 
speak with difficulty ; native of Mexico and south to Brazil. 
The Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot, P. ochrocephalus^ fourteen inches long; prevailing 
color j^ellowish-green, with red, green, and black ; very beautiful, but unable to talk, and only 
utters a harsh scream ; native of South America. 
The Blue-faced Parrot, P. auhmmalls, size of the preceding; colors green and red ; learns 
but little, and continually cries ffirr, girr ; native of Guiana. 
The Blue-necked Parrot, P. mestruus, size of the ash-gray parrot; head, neck, and part of 
the breast indigo-blue ; back, belly, wings, and thighs green ; the feathers on the belly tipped 
with blue ; beautiful, tame, and gentle, but does not speak ; native of Guiana. 
The AYhite -FRONTED Parrot, P. leucocejjhahis, size of a house-pigeon ; prevailing color green, 
witli scarlet, red, brown, and blue ; tame and talkative, and a great imitator of the voices of dogs, 
cats, and sheep. 
The Pavouan Parrot, P. Guianensis — Psittacara or Conurus Guianensis, and an example 
of what are called the Parrakeet Macaws of South America — is twelve inches long ; colors green 
and yellow ; leai-ns to speak more easily and perfectly than any other of the long-tailed parrots. 
Levaillant saw one that would lie on his back, fold his feet in the attitude of prayer, and repeat 
the whole of the Lord's Prayer in Dutch. 
The Gray-breasted Parrot, P. murinus or Conurus murinus, is of a silver-gray color; eleven 
and a half inches long; is a quiet and gentle species, and learns a few words ; found in South America. 
The Illinois Vakkot, P. pert inax or Conurus periinax, one of the most common species in the 
hands of the bird-sellers; nine and a half inches long; prevailing color green ; yellowish-gray 
on the lower part of the body; forehead, cheeks, and throat orange; belly spotted with orange; 
native of Brazil and Guiana, where it is seen in flocks of five hundred, one always appointed as 
a sentinel while they are feeding. It is a beautiful bird, and is very affectionate, but its cry is 
harsh, and its talking capacity very limited. 
The Yellow Parrot, P. solstitialls or Conurus solstitialis, same size as the preceding; prevailing 
color orange, with ash, green, olive, and orange ; found in Angola ; learns to speak easily and well. 
The Carolina Parrot, P. Carolinensis — Conurus Carolinensis of De Kay and others — is a 
native of Guiana, but is found as far north as Yirginia, and in the west as far as Illinois. They 
are exceedingly sociable in their habits, always flying in large flocks, and roosting in companies 
of thirty or forty together in the inside of a hollow tree. They are greatly attached to each 
other, nestling close together, and scratching one another's heads in a most aflfectionate manner. 
They manifest this attachment in an equally striking manner when any of their companions fall 
into misfortune. In illustration of this we may quote the following passage from Wilson's Amer- 
ican Ornithology. "At Big Bone Lick, thirty miles above the mouth of Kentucky River, I 
saw them in great numbers. They came screaming through the woods in the morning, about 
an hour after sunrise, to drink the salt Avater, of which they, as well as the pigeons, are re- 
markably fond. When they alighted on the ground, it appeared at a distance as if covered with 
a carpet of the richest green, orange, and yellow; they afterward settled in one body on a neigh- 
boring tree, which stood detached from any other, covering almost every twig of it, and the sun, 
