M A C 
head are V-aiiegated with beautiful lines of frnall 
black feathers, appearing like needle-work. The 
irides are of a pale yellow colour; immediately 
under the bill there is a large black fpot, turning 
round, and upwards on it's fides, and encompaffing 
part of the bare white fpace on the fides of the 
head. The top of the head is adorned with fine 
green feathers, which gradually become blue on 
the neck ; the upper fide of the neck, the back, 
and the upper fides of the wings and tail, are an 
exceeding fine blue, with fome little variation of 
lhade. The fore-part of the neck, the breafb, 
belly, thighs, and covert-feathers under the tail, 
are of a fine yellow orange-colour, except the 
hinder part of the thighs, where an admixture of 
blue appears. The covert-feathers within-fide 
the wings are yellow; and the legs and feet are of 
a blackilli or dufl-iy colour. This fpecies, which 
is a native of Brazil, is by no means common. 
It feems to be the araracanga of the Brazilians. 
Macaw, Red and Blue. This bird is un- 
queftionably the firft of the parrot kind, if we re- 
gard either it's magnitude or the beauty and va- 
riety of the colours which adorn it's plumage. It 
rneafures nearly three feet in length from the tip 
of the bill to the extremity of the tail. The arch 
of the upper mandible of the bill, from the fore- 
head to the point of the bill, is nearly three in- 
ches ; and the longefl toe, with the claw, is about 
two inches and a half long. The upper mandible 
is v/hitifh, except near the head, where it is dulky ; 
the lower is black or dufky. The noftrilsare placed 
in the upper part of the bill, juft within the fea- 
thers; the fides of the head aredeftitute of feathers, 
and covered with a whitilh corrugated fkin; the 
head, neck, breaft, belly, thighs, upper part of the 
back, and lefler covert-feathers of the wings, are 
of a very fine bright red or fcarlet colour; the 
quill-feathers of the wings are externally of a fine 
blue, and internally of a faint redj the firft fea- 
thers next above the quills are a bright yellow ; 
the blue quills which fall next the back are tinged 
with green; and the hinder part of the thigh is 
green intermixed with red. The lower belly and 
covert-feathers under the tail, as alfo the lower 
part of the back and coverts on the upper fide of 
the tail, are of a very fine blue colour. The 
tail-feathers gradually fhorten towards the fides ; 
fome of the longeft or middle feathers are wholly 
red; the Ihorter, or fide-feathers, are partly red 
and partly blue; the legs and feet are covered 
with blackifh or dufky fcales; and the toes are 
difpofed two forwards and two backwards, as in 
other parrots, all armed with ilrong claws. This 
bird is a native of America, and feems only to 
delight in tropical climates. 
Macaw, Brazilian, Green. This bird is 
about the fize of a tame pigeon : the bill is pretty 
ftrong; the noftrils are placed in a white fl<in, 
which pafifes round the bafe of the bill; on each 
fide of the head there is a broad bare fpace of 
fkin, of a whitifh colour, thinly fet with fmall 
black feathers, and in thefe fpaces the eyes are 
placed, having gold-coloured irides ; the feathers 
on the forehead, next the bafe of the bill, are 
black; tiie top of the head is blue, which gra- 
dually becomes green on the neck; and on each 
fide of the lower mandible of the bill there is a 
black fpot, terminating in points upwards. The 
whole body and neck, both above and beneath, 
are green; the wings are externally green, except 
the greaser quills, and fome of the firft row of 
, _ M A C 
covert-feathers that fall over them, v/hich are of 
a beautiful blue; the quill-feathers next the back 
are of a yellow green; the ridge of the wing in 
the upper part round the joint is red ; the infides 
of the wings are red, except a little fprinkling of 
faint green in the leffcr covert- feathers ; the tail- 
feathers on the upper fide have green webs to- 
wards their bottoms, which gradually become 
blue at their tips; and the outer v/ebs of the two 
exterior feathers are blue their whole length. The 
under-fide of the tail, which is wholly red, is 
compofed of twelve feathers, narrow at their ex- 
tremities; the middle feathers are long, gradually 
fhortening to the outermoft on each fide; the legs 
and feet are covered with a black fcaly fkin ; the 
toes ftand two forwards and two backwards; the 
claws are black and fbrong; and between the 
green feathers on the thighs and the black fkin of 
the legs are placed rings of fcarlet feathers. 
Sir Hans Sloane mentions this bird in his Hif- 
tory of Jamaica; but it does not appear to be 
common in that ifland. 
Macaw of St. Domingo. This bird is called 
Arras by the French. The head, neck, belly, and 
upper part of the back, are of a fiery red colour; 
the wings are a mixture of yellow, blue, and 
crimfon; and the tail, which is about eighteen in. 
ches long, is entirely red. It fubfifts on feeds 
and fruits; and fometimes feeds on manchineel 
apples, which are a deadly poifon to all other 
animals. The note of this bird is fhrill and 
loud, efpecially when flying. The male and fe- 
male always herd together: the latter forms her 
neft in the hole of a tree, lining it with feathers; 
and lays two eggs, about the fize of a pigeon's. 
The flefh of this bird is very hard; neverthelefs, 
it is highly efteemed by the French, whofe tafte, 
both with refped to food and drefs, is well known 
to be extremely capricious. 
MACKAREL; the Scomber of Lin nseus. 
The nofe of this fifh is taper and fharp-pointed ; 
the eyes are large; the jaws are of an equal 
length; and the teeth are frnall and numerous. 
The body is flightly comprefled on the fides; 
but towards the tail it grows very flender, and 
fomewhat angular. The firft dorfal fin, which is 
placed a little behind the perioral, is triangular, 
and confifts of nine or ten ftiff^ rays; and the fe- 
cond, which lies at a confiderable diftance from 
the other, is compofed of twelve foft rays. The 
peftoral fins contain twenty rays, and the ventral 
fix. At the bafe of the anal fin there is a ftrong 
fpine; between the laft dorfal fin and the tail 
there are five fmall fins, and the fame number be- 
tween the anal fin and the tail. The tail itfelf 
is broad and femilunar; the colour of the back 
and fides above the lateral line is a fine green^ 
varied with blue, interfperfed with black lines 
pointing downwards; and beneath the line the 
fides and belly are of a filvery colour. In fhorr, 
the Mackarel is a very beautiful fifh when alive, 
it's colours being then brilliant, and it's variega- 
tions ftriking; but no fooner is it caught than it's 
luftre begins to difappear, and no idea can be 
formed of it's original beauty from it's appear- 
ance when dead. 
In the vernal feafon, the eyes of the Mackarel 
are almoft covered with a white film, which grows 
in winter; and during the former period it is 
half blind, but recovers it's fight about the be- 
ginning of fummer. 
Mackarel vifit the Britifh lliores in vaft fhoals 
during 
