PARROTS. 
9 
of the tribe, whether we admire it in the varied hues 
of the genus ^latycercus or in those smaller species 
belonging to the genus Nanodes, which have aptly 
been termed miniature Maccaws. 
Even among the splendid family of the Parrots, 
Mr. Bennett observes, the Maccaws claim a pre-eminent 
rank for their superior size and the brilliancy and 
variety of their colours. They are at once distin- 
guished by the nakedness of their cheeks, which are 
furnished at the utmost with a few minute lines of 
scattered hairs or feathers ; by the great length and deep 
curvature of their upper mandible, and the extreme 
brevity of the lower, which latter is generally indented 
on either side with a notch of greater or less extent, 
corresponding to an elevated tooth in the former ; and 
by the prolongation and regular graduation of their 
tail, wliich is larger than the rest of their body. The 
elegance of their plumage, the singularity of their 
deportment, their mildness of temper and docility in 
captivity, render them peculiar favourites ; but they 
are by no means equal to most of the other divisions 
of the Parrot tribe in activity, in intelligence, in 
familiarity, or in the imitative power of their voice. 
The Blue and Yellow Maccaw (Macrocercus ararcmnci) 
is one of the most conspicuous examples of the group. 
It is a large species (tliough not the largest of the 
IMaccaws), measuring nearly three feet in lengtli. 
Like all the other species of the group, it is a native 
of the tropical regions of America. It is fond of rich 
and marshy places, where it roosts generally on the 
tall palm trees, and lives in great part on their fruits. 
As is the case with its congeners, it generally keeps in 
