WHITE-EARED GONURE. 
93 
the crops of maize, of which they destroy far more, in apparent wan- 
tonness, than they can or do consume. The agriculturists, in revenge 
for the loss and damage inflicted by them, kill and eat as many of 
these pretty creatures as they can; and although the old birds are 
most decidedly tough, the young ones of the year, fattened on the 
purloined maize, are tender and most excellent gibier: it seems a pity, 
however, to put such charming birds to such a use, for there are 
plenty of ugly ones to take their place on the Brazilian farmers’ 
tables; and, it seems to us, at the price quoted, at present at all events, 
£2, and even upwards a piece, it would pay the farmers better to 
export the VVhite-ciirt'd Conures to Europe alive, than to kill and eat 
them at home; but possibly these excellent individuals are ignorant 
of the commercial value of their little enemies, or doubtless they would 
treat them in a different manner, for to eat one of them, at the figure 
they now command in the bird-market, seems something like eating 
gold, and the Brazilians, unless vastly changed, have a keen eye to 
“the main chance”, as we remember to have heard from some friends 
who had had extensive dealings with them. 
Mr. Wiener fed his White-eared Conures on “millet, canary, and a 
little hemp seed, with about a quarter of a sponge-cake daily”, which 
is so excellent and suitable a regimen for them, that we are not sur- 
prised to hear him say that upon it his pair “grew daily prettier.” 
These birds are very pretty and gentle, and soon become very tame ; 
a young male, much petted and attended to, will learn to repeat a 
few words, and become a delightful companion; they are, however, 
rather shy with strangers, and should not be unnecessarily alarmed; 
if they are they will bite, and that sharply, but their doing so is 
solely the effect of fear. 
