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mean not only the loss of a valuable game bird to St. Vincent, 
but it would deprive the West Indies of one of their greatest 
ornithological curiosities, and America of one of its finest birds. 
Reasons why parrots are easily killed out : There are two 
facts which make parrots easy to kill out: first, they feed at 
different seasons on particular fruits, and can then be obtained 
with little difficulty by simply stationing oneself within gun- 
shot of a favourite feeding-tree: in the second place, they are 
“very sympathetic birds, and if one in a flock be wounded, often 
the others will stay by it until they are all killed. I have seen 
the disastrous results of this habit in South America. 
Extinct Parrots: To show that parrots are very liable to 
become extinct, particularly species confined to islands, I will _ 
call to mind a few cases. In the West Indies, Martinique and 
Guadaloupe used to have, according to M. Guyon, six species, 
none of which are now known. Jamaica until fairly recent 
years had avery fine macaw. The handsome Cuban macaw 
(Ara tricolor) is practically extinet, though by some said still to 
linger in certain of the swamps of Cuba. In the East Indies, 
the Philip Island parrot (Nestor productus) and its near ally 
the Norfolk Island parrot (Nestor norfolcensis) have disappear- 
ed, together with a parrakeet (Palwornis exsul) from Rodriguez. 
In North America, the Carolina parrakeet (Conurus cariolin- 
ensis) originally occurred from Indiana southward to the Gulf 
of Mexico. It isnow confined to a few swamps on the gulf 
eoast, where it is not at all common. 
Conclusion ; I think the foregoing shows the advisability 
of affording strict protection to the St. Vincent parrot until such 
time as he can be considered at least fairly abundant. 
Penalty for killing parrots; In regard to the penalty 
attached to the infringement of the game laws, this should be 
made especially heavy in regard to the parrot, or the case might 
arise (analogous to what has happened in other places) in which 
a dead parrot might bring enough to cover the fine and yet 
yield a profit. The present law of Bermuda provides a penalty 
of £10 for killing a Long-tail or Tropic Bird (Phaethon flaviros- 
tris), practically the only sea bird now breeding in Bermuda. 
The result is, of course, perfect immunity, and the species is 
abundant. It seems to me that some such fine should be imposed 
for the illegal killing of this parrot, which is a more interesting, 
as well as much more beautiful, bird than this common and 
widely distributed sea-fow].* 
COCORICO. 
This bird appears to be well established, and is in no 
danger of extermination in the islands on which it occurs. As 
* According to Mr. Henry Powell (February 22, 1904), ‘At the Zoological 
Gardens, London, there is a solitary St. Vincent parrot, and that was 
presented by the Earl of Balcarres who obtained it direct from St. Vincent. 
No specimen of this parrot exists at the Cromwell Road Museum, nor at 
Marseilles, where the: collection of birds in general and the method of 
mounting them are considered especially good.’ i it fy 
._ We understand that recently five specimens, of this rare parrot were 
killed for a collector! [Ed. W.J,B.}. a tee 
