75 
®lue and Mellow @acaw. 
Qy— 
Psittacus ararauna, Russ. 
Synonyms: Ara ararauna, Gb., Bp., etc.-, Sittace ararauna, Wgl., 
Macrocercus ararauna, Audorum. German : Per gelbrustige blaue Arara. 
Feench: Ara bleu et jaune. 
TN the Blue and Yellow Macaw the species last described finds a 
-L powerful rival to the throne of Parrotdom, but the bird now under 
consideration being of less size than the Red and Blue Macaw, the 
latter must be looked upon as successfully maintaining his claim o 
superiority, but as there is no very great difference in size between 
the two species, a couple of inches in length or thereabouts, it would 
have been a question of great delicacy to decide between the two 
claimants for imperial honours, had not the magnificent plumage of 
the Emperor de facto rendered it comparatively easy to decide m his 
favour: bright red and deep blue are more striking colours than dark 
blue and yellow, so that the possessor of the latter uniform is oblige 
to fall back, and content himself with second place. 
The Blue and Yellow Macaw is of less frequent occurrence m the 
bird market than its more showily-coated relative, but makes quite as 
amiable and desirable a pet; of the two, it is, perhaps, the most sus- 
ceptible of education, speaking with great distinctness, if it does no 
learn to repeat a very lengthened vocabulary: we say f amiable and 
desirable pet 5 ’ advisedly, for we know of few more amusing and inter- 
esting birds, providing, that is to say, they are taken m lan rom e 
nest when they become, as we have said, exceedingly tame. 
Their tempers are naturally good, at least all the specimens of the 
several species of Macrocercus with which we have had to do were 
possessed of a variety of good qualities; they are not, for instance, 
nearly as excitable as the Cockatoos, or as jealous and spiteful as the 
Parrots, and they are far more easily tamed than any of the Parrakeets; 
