THE PAKROT THEBES. 
18 
“it is exceedingly graceful and docile, and may be taught to 
speak with great facility.” 
Besides the parrakeets mentioned, there are a great number 
of others ; but as the reader is very unlikely to possess any one 
of them, to treat of them here would be out of place. Two of 
them, however, are such interesting creatures, one being a par- 
rakeet that never flies, and the other one that warbles, that it 
would be hardly right to pass them by in silence. The walking 
parrot is a native of Mew Holland. It is about a foot in length, 
and is coloured green and black, in regular and alternate bands. 
Mr. Gould avers that he never saw it perching, and that he 
never succeeded in driving it into a tree. “ It usually frequents 
either sandy, sterile districts, covered with tufts of rank grass 
and herbage, or low swampy flats abounding with rushes, and 
the other kinds of vegetation peculiar to such situations. It is 
generally observed either singly or in pairs ; but, from its very 
recluse habits, and great powers of running, it is seldom or 
never seen until it is flushed, and then only for a short time, 
as it soon pitches again, and runs off to a place of seclusion.” 
It lays its eggs on the ground. 
The little singing parrot is also an Australian, and is known 
as the grass parrakeet, and abounds over the vast central plains. 
In size it is about equal to the lark. “ In captivity,” says 
Dallas, “ these diminutive creat.ures are amongst the most 
pleasing of the parrots, for they are not only elegant in their 
forms, and lively in their movement, but, instead of the hor- 
rible screeching noise which renders so many of their larger and 
more brilliant brethren exceedingly disagreeable neighbours 
they have a soft warbling note which is very pleasant.” 
CHAPTER Y. 
THE MACAWS. 
The true Macaws, whose classic appellation is Macrocercus, 
Ara being the Indian name, which is supposed to describe the 
ordinary note of the bird. The macaws are, without doubt, the 
most magnificent of the gorgeous parrot family. They are con- 
fined to the hottest regions of Brazil, Guinea, the West -India 
