CAROLINA PARROT. 109 
it is ; having myself seen them, in the montli of Februai'y, along the 
banks of the Ohio, in a snow storm, flying about like pigeons, and in 
full cry. 
The preference, however, which this bird gives to the western coun- 
tries, lying in the same parallel of latitude with those eastward of the 
Alleghany mountains, which it rarely or never visits, is worthy of re- 
mark ; and has been adduced, by diiferent writers, as a proof of the 
superior mildness of climate in the former to that of the latter. But 
there are other reasons for this partiality equally powerful, though 
hitherto overlooked ; namely, certain peculiar features of country, to 
which these birds are particularly and strongly attached ; these are, low, 
rich, alluvial bottoms, along the borders of creeks, covered with a gigan- 
tic growth of sycamore trees or button-wood — deep and almost impene- 
trable swamps, where the vas't and towering cypress lift their still more 
majestic heads ; and those singular salines, or, as they are usually 
called, licks, scr generally interspersed over that country, and which are 
regularly and eagerly visited by the Paroquets. A still greater induce- 
ment is the superior abundance of their favorite fruits. That food which 
the Paroquet prefers to all others, is the seeds of the cocklc-lnirr, a plant 
rarely found in the lower parts of Pennsylvania, or New York ; but 
which unfortunately grows in too great abundance along the shores of 
the Ohio and Mississippi, so much so as to render the wool of those 
sheep, that pasture where it most abounds, scarcely worth the cleaning, 
covering them with one solid mass of burrs, wrought up and imbedded 
into the fleece, to the great annoyance of this valuable animal. The 
seeds of the cypress-tree and hackberry, as well as beech-nuts, are also 
great favorites with these birds ; the two former of which are not com- 
monly found in Pennsylvania, and the latter by no means so general or 
so productive. Here then are several powerful reasons, more dependent 
on soil than climate, for the preference given by these birds to the luxu- 
riant regions of the Avest. Pennsylvania, indeed, and also Maryland, 
abound with excellent apple orchJirds, on the ripe fruit of which the 
Paroquets occasionally feed. But I have my doubts whether their depre- 
dations in the orchard be not as much the result of wanton play and 
mischief, as regard for the seeds of the fruit, which they are supposed 
to be in pursuit of. I have known a flock of these birds alight on an 
apple tree, and have myself seen them twist off" the fruit, one by one, 
strewing it in every direction around the tree, without observing that any 
of the depredators descended to pick them up. To a Paroquet which I 
wounded, and kept for some considerable time, I very often offered ap- 
ples, which it uniformly rejected ; but burrs, or beech-nuts never. To 
another very beautiful one, which I brought from New Orleans, and 
which is now sitting in the room beside me, I have frequently off'ered 
this fruit, and also the seeds separately, which I never knew it to taste. 
