S. Porter—A West Indian Diary



75



I left no stone unturned in my search either to secure or to see a wild

specimen of this bird. In the former I was lucky, but not in regard to

the latter, though had I more time I dare say I could have penetrated

the forests with a guide and seen the birds. There was a fine pair of

the birds in an aviary at the Jamaica Institute in Kingston. They

were in company with the two other species from Jamaican territory,

A. collaria and A. caymanensis . These were the first I had ever seen

of this very rare species. A. agilis is slightly larger and more robust

in form than its cogener, A. collaria . It is of a green colour seldom seen

in the Amazon, a rich dark shining laurel green.


I spent a small fortune in car fares, chasing round and tracking

down all the Amazons I heard of, but failed to find a single specimen of

this species in captivity until I met with a dusky person, an extraordinary

individual who had his little garden in Kingston full of very original

types of aviaries, full of Jamaican birds, and all, except some of the

Doves which fought each other, in perfect condition From him

I obtained a wonderful specimen of the Collared Amazon, in fact the

finest specimen of any Amazon I have ever seen ; but alas ! there was

no agilis. Our coloured friend said that he would do his best. He did,

and early one Sunday morning some days later, as I was concluding

my other purchases, one of these birds turned up with its owner.

I really don’t know which was the most decrepit, the bird or its owner !

Had I not known the species I would never have guessed it. It had

a pitiful despairing cry, and I really had to purchase it even though the

price was high, just to say that I had actually owned one of these

birds, for I thought that it might be the last of its species !


Once aboard the ship it appeared too weak even to eat. For two

days it refused to feed, but at last nibbled a bit of banana. Finally,

I had to resort to the syringe method of feeding, using the same kind

of food that I was feeding the young collaria on, which was mashed up

paw-paw, banana, and biscuit. The bird was too weak even to bite,

and it only protested with a feeble whimper. In a short time it seemed

to enjoy the food and there was no trouble about forcing the mixture

down its throat.


In the southern part of the Island this bird appears to have dis¬

appeared altogether, and it was in that part that my previous inquiries



