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Restive ||mazon Uarrot. 
Psittacus festivus, Russ. 
Synonyms: Amazona festiva, Schlgl.; Chrysotis 
festivus, Swns., Bp., Selb. in Jaed.; Chrysotis festiva, Gr., Fnsch, etc., etc. 
German: Die rothriicldge Amazone. 
T I "'HE Amazons are a numerous family, comprising upwards of twenty 
species, nearly all of which are inhabitants of the region watered 
by the great river from which they have derived their common name, 
and its tributaries, and although natives of the Tropics, or the countries 
bordering thereon, they are neither delicate, nor difficult to preserve 
in captivity. Some of them rival the Grey Parrot as linguists and 
mimics, and all are far hardier than the latter bird. 
The species under consideration is not to be confounded with Psit- 
tacus ccstivus, one of its congeners, better known to amateurs, and 
more frequently imported than itself. All the Amazons are of more 
or less green colour, and are chiefly distinguished from each other by 
the markings of the head and face, a few by their size only, and one 
or two by their altogether different appearance to the rest of their 
kind. 
The subject of this chapter, however, is not of the latter sort, for 
it is a green bird, darker above, lighter on the lower surface of the 
body, and has a red frontlet and bridle; above the eyes is a line of 
blue; the wings are marked with blue and black spots; and the lower 
part of the back and the rump are red: it is not very frequently im- 
ported, nor much of a favourite with amateurs, as it is not a great 
talker, though susceptible of being rendered very tame. 
All the Amazons have short tails, averaging about four inches in 
length, and the species under consideration has the outer feather on 
each side margined with blue on its outer aspect, while the remainder 
are green, marked with red near their bases, excepting the two middle 
feathers which are wholly green. 
