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BLUE-HEADED PARROT. 
PsiTTACUS MENSTRUUS. Lift. Syst . 1 . ft. 14 8. 
Le Parroquet a tete bleue de la Guiana, Bris. Orn. iv. ft. 247 . 
Le Pafegai a tete et gorge bleue. Buff. Ois. vi. ft. 24 3. 
Blue-headed Parrot. Lath. i. ft. joi. Ed. 
vii. ft. 3 14. 
The Count de BufFon has discriminated this genus into two classes; the 
first comprehends those of the old world, which he has subdivided into five 
families; Cockatoos, Parrots, Lories, long-tailed Parrakeets, and short-tailed 
Parakeets: those of the new world into six families; Maccaws, Amazo- 
nians, Cricks, Popinjays, long-tailed Paroquets, and short-tailed Paro- 
quets. 
As I shall have an opportunity of introducing a specimen of each family, 
in the course of this work, I shall then point out their specific characters, 
in the order they are presented to my Subscribers. 
This subject is the size of the dove-house pigeon. The bill is black, with 
a red spot on both sides of the upper mandible; the eyes are surrounded by 
a flesh-coloured membrane ; the nostrils are placed in a narrow skin at the 
basis of the upper mandible, pretty close together; on each side the head is a 
dusky spot, the head and neck are of a fine blue, which inclines to purple 
on the breast; the wing coverts of a yellow green, the back, belly, thighs, 
wings, and upper coverts of the tail, of a beautiful green, the under coverts 
are scarlet, the tail is expanded in order the better to explain the variety and 
brilliancy of its colours; the legs are grey. 
This beautiful Popinjay is a native of Guiana, and though very scaice 
there, is only valued for the beauty of its plumage, as it cannot be taught 
to articulate, as most of the parrot tribe do ; it is smaller than the Amazon, 
from which and the Crick it is distinguished by the omission of red on 
the wings.. 
