SOUTH AMERICA. 
127 
disappear lie is seen no more: perhaps this is the second 
only kind of ant he is fond of: when these ants- 
are stirring, you are sure to find him near them. 
You cannot well mistake the ant after you have 
once been in its company, for its sting is very Ants, 
severe, and you can hardly shoot the bird, and 
pick it up, without having five or six upon you. 
Parrots and Paroquets are very numerous here, Parrots 
an p a ^ 
and of many different kinds. You will know when roquets, 
they are near you in the forest, not only by the 
noise they make, but also by the fruits and seeds 
which they let fall while they are feeding. 
The Hia-hia parrot, called in England the parrot The 
of the sun, is very remarkable : he can erect at 
pleasure a fine radiated circle of tartan feathers 
quite round the back of his head from jaw to jaw. 
The fore part of his head is white; his back, tail, 
and wings, green ; and his breast and belly tartan. 
Superior in size and beauty to every parrot of The Ara. 
South America, the Ara will force you to take your 
eyes from the rest of animated nature, and gaze at 
him : his commanding strength, the flaming scarlet 
of his body, the lovely variety of red, yellow, blue, 
and green in his wings, the extraordinary length of 
his scarlet and blue tail, seem all to join and demand 
for him the title of emperor of all the parrots. He 
is scarce in Demerara till you reach the confines of 
the Macoushi country; there he is in vast abundance; 
he mostly feeds on trees of the palm species. When 
the coucourite trees have ripe fruit on them, they 
are covered with this magnificent parrot: he is not 
