32 
TALKING-BIRDS. 
MACAWS. 
The macaws are not among the best talkers. They have the bill rather 
short, but of great power. The upper mandible is very much hooked, with 
the lip descending far over the under one. In a wild state, they nestle in 
the holes of trees. They are particularly distinguished by having their 
cheeks destitute of feathers, and their tail feathers long. They are all na¬ 
tives of the tropical regions of South America, where they perch upon the 
summit of high trees. The scarlet macaw is one of the most splendid with 
regard to color, as well as size; for, from the top of the bill to the extrem¬ 
ity of the tail, some have been known to measure more than a yard. Its 
color is, for the most part, of a beautiful scarlet; the quill feathers, exter¬ 
nally, of a bright blue, and on their under side of a faint red; the first 
feathers next the quills are of a bright yellow, some of the feathers being 
tipped with green. Other parts of the body are of a fine blue, and the 
longest feathers of the tail are entirely red. 
BLUE AND TELLOW MACAW. 
The blue macaw, or the blue and yellow macaw, is less common than the 
red macaw, but little inferior in point of size. The feathers on the head of 
this bird are green, gradually becoming blue on the neck; the upper side 
of the neck, the back, and upper sides of the wings and tail, are of an 
