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LOXDOV. SAMUEL HIOHLEY 32. FLEET STREET.
DrBLiN.w.rrRRYjns? &cr
THE
NATURAL HISTORY
PARROTS.
BY
PRIDEAUX J. SELBY, ESQ.
F. R.S.E.. &c. &c.
ILLUSTRATED BV THIRTY-TWO PLATES: WITH MEMOIR AND
PORTRAIT OF BEWICK, BY THE PwEY. MR TURNER,
NEWCASTLE- UPON-TYNE.
EDINBURGH:
W. H. LIZARS, 3 JAJVIES'S SQUARE ;
S. HIGHLEY, 32 FLEET STREET, LONDON ; AND
W. CURRY JUN. & CO. DUBLIN.
1836.
EDINBURGH, PRINTED BY NiilLfc & CO. OLD FISHMARKET.
ADVERTISEMENT.
I
We have the pleasure of again making our ap- pearance before our subscribers and the public with a volume of this popular Work, devoted to the Na- tural History of the PsittacidcB (Parrots), in the getting up of which there is congregated the great- est combination of talent, both in the literary de- partment, by our valued friend and coadjutor Mr Selby, and in the beautiful and interesting illustra- tions by Mr Lear, from whose pencil they have, with only two exceptions, been taken — the draw- ings having all been made expressly for the vo- lume.
We have to offer our best acknowledgments to the Rev. Mr Turner, the friend and coteraporary of Bewick, for his very interesting memoir of that
a
X ADVERTISEMENT.
talented man, and which must be perused by all with much interest. We should have liked much to have been favoured by his daughters with access to the venerable gentleman's papers, or to have re- ceived any information from them on the subject of this memoir ; but they judged it advisable to decline compliance with our application ; so that the notice, although complete enough, is not just so lengthened as we could have desired.
We are glad to announce, that Mr Swainson's first volume of the Birds of Western Africa is in the press, and that we have received most of his beautiful drawings for the two volumes, which will appear as soon as we can overtake them.
Our volume on the Cetacecc is also in the press, and will be the next in course of publication.
We are now at our Fifteenth Volume, being about half the number which were proposed in our origi- nal Prospectus, and it affords us great satisfaction again to offer our best acknowledgments to our sub- scribers for the liberal patronage we have expe- rienced since we began the Work, and which we are glad to say continues undiminished, nay even to increase; for the last volume published two months ago on the British Nocturnal Lepidoptera, has ave- raged a larger sale than any of its predecessors ut
ADVERTISEMENT. XI
the same given period. We have made these re- marks to shew to our friends the steady and conti- nued popularity of our Work, which we shall do all in our power to keep up to the end, and which we hope they see an earnest of in the volumes now be- fore them.
CONTENTS
VOLUME SIXTH.
Meivioir of Thomas Bewick,
Natural History of the Parrots, or Family Psit- TACIDiE,
Genus Pal^eornis,
Barraband Ring- Parakeet.
PaliBornis Barrabandi. Plate I.
Alexandrine Ring-Parrakeet.
Palceornis Alexandri. Plate II.
Malacca Ring-Parrakeet. Palceornis Malaccensis.
Plate III.
|
Patagonian Arara. Arara Patagonica. Plate lY. |
7.0 |
|
Carolina Arara. Arara Carolinensis, .... |
81 |
|
The Great Green Maccaw. Macrocercus militaris. Plate V, . |
. ' 87 |
|
Blue and Yellow Maccaw. Macrocercus ararauna. Plate VI. |
90 |
|
Red and Blue Maccaw. Macrocercus Aracanga. Plate VII. |
03 |
.53
07
69 72
CONTENTS.
Noble Parrot-Maccaw.
Psittacara nobilis. Plate VIII.
Festive Parrot.
Psiitacus festivus. Plate IX.
Amazons' Parrot.
Psittacus Amazonius,
Ash-coloured or Grey Parrot.
Psittacus erythacus. Plate X.
Grand Electu?.
Electus grandis, ....
Le Vaillant's Pionus. Pionus Le Vaillantii,
Swindern's Love-Bird.
Agapornis Swinderiamcs. Plate XL
Southern Nestor.
Nestor hypopolius. Plate XII.
Tricolour-crested Cockatoo.
Plyctolophus Leadbeateri. Plate XIII.
Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
Plyctolophus sulphureus. Plate XIV.
Stellated Geringore.
Calyptorynchus stellatus. Plate XV.
Goliah Aratoo.
Microglossus aterrimus. Plate XVI.
Pesquet's Dasyptilus.
Dasyptilus Pequetii. Plate XVII.
Purple-capped Lory.
Lorius domicellus. Plate XVII. .
Papuan Lory.
Charmosyna Papuensis. Plate XIX.
Blue-bellied Lorikeet.
Trichoglossus Sivainsonii. Plate XX.
CONTENTS.
XV
Varied Lorikeet,
Trichoglossus versicolor. Plate XXI,
Orange. winged Lorikeet.
Trichoglossus pyrrhopterus. Plate XXII.
KuhFs Coriphilus.
Coriphilus Kuhlii. Plate XXIII.
Sapphire- crowned Psittacule.
Psittaculus galgulus. Plate XXIV.
Pennantian Broad-tail.
Platycercus Pennantii. Plate XXV. Pale-headed Broad-tail.
Platycercus palliceps. Plate XXVI. .
Blue-headed Nanodes.
Nanodes venustus. Plate XXVII.
Undulated Nanodes.
Nanodes undulatus. Plate XXVIII.
Ground Parrot.
Pezoporus formosus. Plate XXIX. .
Red-cheeked Nymphicus.
Nymphicus Novce HoUandice. Plate XXX Portrait of Thomas Bewick, Vignette Title-page.
PAGE
157
159
164
167
173
176
179
181
183
186 2
In all Thirty-two Plates in this Volume.
MEMOIR
THOMAS BEWICK,
EMINENT ENGRAVER ON WOOD.
Although the Biographical Notices preBxed to these volumes have hitherto been conBned to Scien- tific Naturalists, yet, as no one perhaps has contri- buted more essentially to promote the study of Zoo- logy, in two of its most important branches, than the ingenious Artist whose name stands at the head of this aiticle, it appears no more than an act of justice to offer, in this way, a respectful tribute to his me- mory.
Though the art of cutting or engraving on wood is undoubtedly of high antiquity, as the Chinese and Indian modes of printing on paper, cotton, and silk, sufficiently prove ; though, even in Europe, the art
VOL, vi» B
18 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
of engraving on blocks of wood may probably be traced higher than that of printing usually so called ; and though, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, designs were executed of great beauty and accuracy, such as Holbein's " Dance of Death," the vignettes and head-letters of the early Missals and Bibles, and the engravings of flowers and shells in Ge- rard, Gesner, and Fuhschius ; yet the bare inspec- tion of these is sufficient to prove that their me- thods must have been very different from that which Bewick and his school have followed. The princi- pal characteristic of the ancient masters is the cross- ing of the black lines, to produce or deepen the shade, commonly called cross-hatching. Whether this was (lone by employing different blocks, one after ano- ther, as in calico-printing and paper-staining, it may be difficult to say ; but to produce them on the same block is so difficult and unnatural, that, though Nes- bit, one of Bewick's early pupils, attempted it on a few occasions, and the splendid print of Dentatus by Harvey shews that it is not impossible even on a large scale, yet the waste of time and labour is scarcely worth the effect produced.
To understand this, it may be necessary to state, for the information of those who may not have seen an engraved block of wood, that whereas the lines
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 19
which are sunk by the graver on the surface of a copper-plate are the parts which receive the printing ink, which is first smeared over the wliole plate, and the superfluous ink is scraped and rubbed off, that re- maining in the lines being thus transferred upon the paper, by its being passed, together with the plate, through a rolling-press, the rest being left white — in the wooden block, all the parts which are intend- ed to leave the paper white, are carefully scooped out with burins and gouges, and the lines and other parts of the surface of the block which are left pro- minent, after being inked, like types, with a ball or roller, are transferred to the paper by the common printing-press. The difficulty, therefore, of picking out, upon the wooden block, the minute squares or lozenges, which are formed by the mere intersection of the lines cut in the copper-plate, may easily be conceived.
The great advantage of wood-engraving is, that the thickness of the blocks (which are generally of boxwood, sawed across the grain) being carefully regulated by the height of the types with which they are to be used, ai'e set up in the same page with the types ; and only one operation is required to print the letter-press and the cut which is to il- lustrate it. The greater permanency, and indeed
20 MEMOIFl OP THOMAS BEWICK.
almost indestructibility,* of the wooden block, is be- sides secured ; since it is not subjected to the scrap- ing and rubbing, which so soon destroys the sharp- ness of the lines upon copper : and there is a har- mony produced in the page, by the engraving and the letter-press being of the same colour ; which is very seldom the case where copper-plate vignettes are introduced with letter-press.
It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to trace the his- tory of • wood-engraving, its early principles, the causes of its decay, &c , till its productions came to sink below contempt. But for its revival and pre- sent state weaie unquestionably indebted to Bewick and his pupils.
Thomas Beavick was born August 12. 1753, at Cherry-Burn, in the parish of Ovingham, and coun- ty of Northumberland. His father, John Bewick, had for many years a landsale colliery at Mickley- Bank, now in the possession of his son William. John Bewick, Thomas's younger brother, and coad-
* Many of Mr Bewick's blocks have printed upwards of 300,000: the head-piece of the Newcastle Courant above a million; and a small vignette for a capital letter in the Newcastle Chronicle, during a period of twenty years, at ireast two irillions.
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 21
jutor with him in many of his works, was born in 1760 — unfortunately for the arts and for society, of Avhich he was an ornament, died of a consumption, at the age of thirty- five.
The early propensity of Thomas to observe natu- ral objects, and particularly the manners and habits of animals, and to endeavour to express them by drawing, in which, without tuition, he manifested great proficiency at an early age, determined his friends as to the choice of a profession for him. He was bound apprentice, at the age of fourteen, to Mr Ralph Beilby of Newcastle, a respectable copper- plate engraver, and very estimable man.* Mr Bewick might have had a master of greater eminence, but he could not have had one more anxious to encou- rage the rising talents of his pupil, to point out to
* It is stated by the author of " The Pursuit of Know- ledge under Difficulties," forming a part of the Library of Entertaining Knowledge (we know not on what authority, but we think it probable,) that he was in the habit of ex- ercising his genius by covering the walls and doors of his native village with sketches in chalk of his favourites of the lower creation with great accuracy and spirit ; and that some of these performances chancing to attract Mr Beil- by's notice, as he was passing through Cherry- Burn, he was so much struck with the talent which they displayed, that he immediately sought out the young artist, and obtained his father's permission to take him with him as his ap- prentice.
22 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
him his peculiar line of excellence, and to enjoy with- out jealousy his merit and success, even when it ap- peared, in some respects, to throw himself into the shade. When Mr Charles Hutton, afterwards the eminent Professor Hutton of Woolwich, but then a schoolmaster in Newcastle, was preparing, in 1770, his great work on Mensuration, he applied to Mr Beilby to engrave on copper-plates the mathemati- cal figures for the work. Mr Beilby judiciously ad- vised that they should be cut on wood, in which case, each might accompany, on the same page, the proposition it was intended to illustrate. He em- ployed his young apprentice to execute many of these ; and the beauty and accuracy with which they were finished, led Mr Beilby to advise him strongly to devote his chief attention to the improve- ment of this long-lost art. Several mathematical works were supplied, about this time, with very beautiful diagrams ; particularly Dr Enfield's trans- lation of Rossignol's Elements of Geometry.
On the expiration of his apprenticeship, he visited the metropolis for a few months, and was, during this short period, employed by an engraver in the vicinity of Hatton-Garden. But London, with all its gaieties and temptations, had no attractions for Bewick : he panted for the enjoyment of his native
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 23
air, and for indulgence in his accustomed rural habits. On his return to the North, he spent a short time in Scotland, and afterwards became his old master's partner, while John, his brother, was taken as their joint-apprentice.
About this time, Mr Thomas Saint, the printer of the Newcastle Courant, projected an edition of Gay's Fables, and the Bewicks were engaged to furnish the cuts. One of these, " The Old Hound," obtained the premium of the Society of Arts, for the best specimen of wood-engraving, in 1775. An impression of this may be seen in the Memoir pre- fixed to "Select Fables," printed for Charnley, New- castle, in 1820 ; from which many notices in the present Memoir are taken. Mr Saint, in 1776, published also a work entitled. Select Fables, with an indifferent set of cuts, probably by some inferior artist ; but in 1779 came out a new edition of Gay, and, in 1784, of the Select Fables, with an entire new set of cuts, by the Bewicks.
It has been already said, that Thomas Bewick, from his earliest youth, was a close observer and ac- curate delineator of the forms and habits of animals ; and, during his apprenticeship, and indeed through- out his whole life, he neglected no opportunity of visiting and drawing such foreign animals as were
1'4 MEMOIK OF THOMAS BEWICK.
exhibited in the diflferent itinerant collections which occasionally visited Newcastle. This led to the pro- ject of the " History of Quadrupeds ;" a Prospectus of which work, accompanied hy specimens of seve- ral of the best cuts then engraved, was printed and circulated in 1787; but it was not till 1790 that the work appeared.
In the mean time, the Prospectus had the effect of introducing the spirited undertaker to the notice of many ardent cultivators of natural science, parti- cularly of Marmaduke Tunstall, Esq. of Wycliffe, whose museum was even then remarkable for the extent of its treasures, and for the skill with which they had been preserved ; whose collection also of living animals, both winged and quadruped, was very considerable. Mr Bewick was invited to visit Wy- cliffe, and made drawings of various specimens, liv- ing and dead, which contributed greatly to enrich his subsequent publications. The portraits which he took with him of the wild cattle in Chillingham Park, the seat of the Earl of Tankerville (whose agent, Mr John Bailey, was also an eminent naturalist, and very intimate friend of Mr Bewick), particularly at- tracted Mr Tunstall's attention ; and he was very urgent to obtain a representation, upon a larger scale than was contemplated for his projected work, of
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 25
tliose now unique specimens of the " ancient Caledo- nian breed." For this purpose, Mr Bewick made a special visit to Chillingham, and the result was the largest wood-cut he ever engraved ; which, though it is considered as his chef d'ceuvre, seemed, in its con- sequences, to shew the limits within which wood- engraving should generally be confined. The block, after a few impressions had been taken off, split into several pieces, and remained so till, in the year 1817, the richly figured border having been removed, the pieces containing the figure of the wild bull were so firmly clamped together, as to bear the force of the press ; and impressions may still be had. A few proof-impressions on thin vellum of the original block, with the figured border, have sold as high as twenty guineas.
As it obviously required much time, as well as labour, to collect, from various quarters, the materials for a " General History of Quadrupeds," it is evi- dent that much must have been done in other ways, in the regular course of ordinary business. In a country engraver's ofBce, much of this requires no record ; but, during this interval, three works on copper seem to have been executed, chiefly by Mr Thomas Bewick. A small quarto volume, entitled, *• A Tour through Sweden, Lapland, &c.,by Matthew
26 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICKj
Consett, Esq., accompanied by Sir G. H. Liddeli, was illustrated with engravings by Beilby and Be- wick, the latter executing all those relating to natu- ral history, particularly the rein-deer and their Lap- land keepers, brought over by Sir H. Liddeli, whom he had thus the unexpected opportunity of delineat- ing from the life. During this interval, he also drew and engraved on copper, at the expense of their re- spective proprietors, " The Whitley large Ox," be- longing to Mr Edward Hall, the four quarters of which weighed 187 stone ; and " The remarkable Kyloe Ox," bred in Mull by Donald Campbell, Esq- and fed by Mr Robert Spearman of Rothley Park, Northumberland. This latter is a very curious spe- cimen of copper-plate engraving, combining the styles of wood and copper, particularly in the minute man- ner in which the verdure is executed.
At length appeared " The General History of Quadrupeds," a work uncommonly well received by the public, and ever since held in increased estima- tion. Perhaps there never was a work to which the rising generation of the day was, and no doubt that for many years to come will be, under such obliga- tions, for exciting in them a taste for the natural history of animals. The representations which are given of the various tribes, possess a boldness of de-
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. "^ i
sign, a correctness of outline, an exactness of attitude, and a discrimination of g-eneral character, which con- vey, at the first glance, a just and lively idea of each different animal. The figures were accompanied by a clear and concise statement of the nature, habits, and disposition of each animal : these were chiefly drawn up by his able coadjutors, Mr Beilby, his part- ner, and his printer Mr Solomon Hodgson ; subject, no doubt, to the corrections and additions of Mr Bewick. In drawing up these descriptions, it was the endeavour of the publishers to lay before their readers a particular account of the quadrupeds of our own country, especially of those which have so ma- terially contributed to its strength, prosperity, and happiness, and to notice the improvements which an enlarged system of agriculture, supported by a noble spirit of generous emulation, has diffused through- out the country.
But the great and, to the public in general, unex- pected, charm of the History of Quadrupeds, was the number and variety of the vignettes and tail- pieces, with which the whole volume is embellished. Many of these are connected with the manners and habits of the animals near which they are placed ; others are, in some other way, connected with them, as being intended to convey to those who avail them-
28 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
selves of their labours, some salutary moral lesson, as to their humane treatment ; or to expose, by per- haps the most cutting possible satire, the cruelty of those who ill-treat thenii But a great; proportion of them express, in a way of dry humour pecuHar to himself, the artist's particular notions of men and things, the passing events of the day, &c. kc. ; and exhibit often such ludicrous, and, in a few instances, such serious and even awful, combinations of ideas, as could not perhaps have been developed so for- cibly in any other way.
From the moment of the publication cf this vo- lume, the fame of Thomas Bewick was established on a foundation not to be shaken. It has passed through seven large editions, with continually grow- ing improvements.
It was observed before, that Mr Bewick's younger brother, John, was apprenticed to Mr Beilby and himself. He naturally followed the line of engrav- ing so successfully struck out by his brother. At the close of his apprenticeship, he removed to Lon- don, where he soon became very eminent as a wood- engraver ; indeed, in some respects, he might be said to excel the elder Bewick. This naturally in- duced Mr William Bulmer, the spirited proprietor of the " Shakspeare Press," himself a Newcastle
MEMOIR OP THOMAS BEWICK. 29
man, to conceive the desire of giving to the world a complete specimen of the improved arts of type and block-printing ; and for this purpose he engaged the Messrs Bewicks, two of his earliest acquaintances, to engrave a set of cuts to embellish the poems of Goldsmith, The Traveller and Deserted Village, and Parnell's Hermit. These appeared in 1705, in a royal quarto volume, and attracted a great share of public attention, from the beauty of the printing and the novelty of the embellishments, which were exe- cuted with the greatest care and skill, after designs made from the most interesting passages of the poems, and were universally allowed to exceed every thing of the kind that had been produced before. Indeed, it was conceived almost impossible that sucli delicate eflfects could be obtained from blocks of wood : and it is said that his late Majesty (George III.) entertained so great a doubt upon the subject, that he ordered his bookseller, Mr G. Nicol, to pro- cure the blocks from Mr Bulmer, that he might con- vince himself of the fact.
The success of this volume induced Mr Bulmer to print, in the same way, Somerville's Chase. The subjects which ornament this work being entirely composed of landscape scenery and animals, were peculiarly adapted to display the beauties of wood°
30 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
engraving. Unfortunately for the arts, it was tlie last work of the younger Bewick, who died at the close of 1795, of a pulmonary complaint, probably contracted by too great application. He is justly described in the monumental inscription in Oving- ham church-yard, as " only excelled as to his inge- nuity as an artist by his conduct as a man." Pre- viously, however, to his death, he had drawn the whole of the designs for the Chase on the blocks, except one \ and the whole were beautifully engraved by his brother Thomas.
In 1797, Messrs Beilby and Bewick published the first volume of the " History of British Birds," comprising the land-birds. This work contains an account of the various feathered tribes, either con- stantly residing in, or occasionally visiting, our islands. While Bewick was engraving the cuts (almost all faithfully delineated from nature), Mr Beilby was engaged in furnishing the written descriptions. Some unlucky misunderstandings having arisen about the appropriation of this part of the work, a separation of interests took place between the parties, and the compilation and completion of the second volume, " Water-birds," devolved on Mr Bewick alone — subject, however, to the literary corrections of the Rev. Henrv Cotes, Vicar of Bedlington. In the
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 31
whole of this work, the drawings are minutely ac- curate, and express the natural delicacy of feather, flown, and accompanying foliage, in a manner pai'- ticularly happy- And the variety of vignettes and tail-pieces, and the genius and humour displayed in the whole of them (illustrating, hesides, in a manner never before attempted, the habits of the birds), stamps a value on the work superior to the former publication on Quadrupeds. * This also has passed
* " Of Bewick's powers, the most extraordinary is the perfect accuracy with which he seizes and transfers to pa- per the natural objects which it is his delight to draw. His landscapes are ahsolute fac-dmiles ; his animals are whole- length portraits. Other books on natural history have fine engravings ; but still, neither beast nor bird in them have any character; dogs and deer, lark and sparrow, have all airs and countenances marvellously insipid, and of a most flat similitude. You may buy dear books, but if you want to know what a bird or quadruped is, to Bewick you must go at last. It needs only to glance at the works of Bewick, to convince ourselves with what wonderful felicity the very countenance and air of his animals are marked and distin- guished. There is the grave owl, the silly wavering lap- wing, the pprt jay, the impudent over-fed sparrow, the airy lark, the sleepy-headed gourmand duck, the restless tit- mouse, the insignificant wren, the clean harmless gull, the keen rapacious kite — every one has his character."
" His vignettes are just as remarkable. Take his British Birds, and in the tail-pieces to these volumes you shall find the most touching representations of Nature in all her forms, animate and inanimate. There are the poachers tracking a hare in the snow ; and the urchins who have ac- complished the creation of a " snow-man ;" the disap-
S'2 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
through many editions, with and without the letter- press.
pointed beggar leaving the gate open for the pigs and poul- try to march over the good dame's linen, which she is lay- ing out to dry; the thief who sees devils in every bush — a sketch that Hogarth himself might envy, the strayed in- fant standing at the horse's heels, and pulling his tail, while the mother is in an agony flying over the style; the sportsman who has slipped into the torrent; the blind man and boy, unconscious of " Keep on this side ;" and that best of burlesques on military pomp, the four urchins astride of gravestones for horses, the first blowing a glass trumpet, and the others bedizened in tatters, with rush-caps and wooden swords.
" Nor must we pass over his sea-side sketches, all inimi- table. The cutter chasing the smuggler — is it not evident that they are going at the rate of at least ten knots an hour ? The tired gulls sitting on the waves, every curled head of which seems big with mischief. What pruning of plumage, what stalkings, and flappings, and scratchings of the sand, are depicted in that collection of sea-birds on the shore ! What desolation is there in that sketch of ^oast after a storm, with the solitary rock, the ebb-tide, the crab just venturing out, and the mast of the sunken vessel standing up through the treacherous waters ! What truth and mi- nute nature is in that tide coming in, each wave rolling higher than its predecessor, like a line of conquerors, and pouring in amidst the rocks with increased aggression! And, last and best, there are his fishing scenes. What angler's heart but beats whenever the pool-fisher, deep in the water, his rod bending almost double with the rush of some tremendous trout or heavy salmon ? Who does not recognize his boyish days in the fellow with the " set rods,'^ sheltering himself from the soaking rain behind an old tree? What fisher has not seen yon " old codger," sitting by the river side, peering over his tackle, and putting ou » brandling ?
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 33
Mr Bewick's next works were on a larger scale : four very spirited and accurate representations of a zebra, an elephant, a lion, and a tiger, from the col- lection and for the use of Mr Pidcock, the celebrat- ed exhibitor of wild beasts. A few impressions were taken of each of these, which are now very scarce.
In 1818, he published a collection of Fables, en-
" Bewick's landscapes, too, are on the same principle with his animals: they are for the most part portraits, the result of the keenest and most accurate observation. You perceive every stone and bunch of grass has had actual existence: his moors are north-country moors, the progeny of Cheviot, Rimside, Simonside, or Carter. The tail-piece of the old man pointing out to his boy an ancient monu- mental stone, reminds one of the Millfield plain, or Flod- den Field. Having only delineated that in which he him- self has taken delight, we may deduce his character from his pictures : his heartfelt love of his native country, its scenery, its manners, its airs, its men and women ; his pro pensity
by himself to wander
Adown some trotting burn's meander,
And no thinks lang :
his intense observation of nature and human life; his sati- rical and somewhat coarse humour; his fondness for maxims and old saws ; his vein of worldly prudence now and then " cropping out," as the miners call it, into day-light ; his passion for the sea-side, and his delight in " the angler'^: solitary trade :" All this, and more, the admirer of Bewick may deduce from his sketches."— ^/«cAm?ooc?'5 Magazine.. p. 2, 3.
VOL. VI. C
34 MEMOIR OF TFIOMAS BEWICK.
titled, " The Fables of ^sop and others, with De- signs by T. Bewick." This work lias not, how- ever, been received by the public with so much fa- vour.
In 1820, Mr Emerson Charnley, bookseller in Newcastle, having purchased of Messrs Wilson of York a large collection of wood-cuts, which had been engraved by the Bewicks in early life, for various works printed by Saint, conceived the design of em- ploying them in the illustration of a volume of Select Fables (already referred to). Though aware that Mr Bewick wished it to be fully understood that he had no wish to " feed the whimsies of bibliomanists," as he himself expressed it, and perhaps was a little jealous of all the imperfections of his youth being set before the public, yet the Editor conceived that he was rendering to the curious in wood-engraving a very acceptable service, by thus rescuing from obli- vion 80 many valuable specimens of the early talents of the revivors of this elegant art. They were thus enabled to study the gradual advance towards excel- lence of these ingenious artists, from their very ear- liest beginnings, and to trace the promise of talents at length so conspicuously developed.
Mr Bewick, however, was also engaged from time to time, by himself and his pupils, in furnishing em-
MEMOIR OF TH03IAS BEWICK. 35
bellishments to various other works, which it is now impossible to particularize. One may be mentioned, Dr Thornton's " Medical Botany^" But as he had himself no knowledge of this department of natural science, the cuts engraved for this work were mere- ly servile copies of the drawings sent, executed with great exactness indeed, but not at all con amore. It is believed that the work itself obtained very little of the public attention.
Several of the later years of Mr Bewick's life were, in part at least, devoted to a work on British Fishes. A number of very accurate drawings were made by himself, and more by his son Robert, whose accu- racy in delineation is perhaps equal to his father's. From twenty to thirty of these had been actually en- graved, and a very large proportion (amounting to more than a hundred) of vignettes, consisting of ri- ver and coast scenery, the humours of fishermen and fish women, the exploits of birds of prey in fish- taking, &c. It was hoped that his son would have gone on with and completed the work, but in this the public have been disappointed ; and now that Mr Yarrell's beautiful work is completed, it possi- bly might not answer.
Mr Bewick had a continued succession of pupils, many of whom have done the highest honour to their
36 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
preceptor ; and some aie carrying the art to a stage of advancement, at which he himself had the candour to acknowledge, on the inspection of Northcote's Fables, he had never conceived that it would arrive. It is almost needless to mention the names of Nes- bit and Haivey. Others were cut off by death, or still more lamentable circumstances, who would otherwise have done great credit to their master ; as Johnson, whose premature death occurred in Scot- land, while copying some of the pictures of Lord Breadalbane, Clennel, Ranson — Hole, whose exqui- site vignette in the title-page of Mr Shepherd's Poggio gave the highest promise, was stopped in a more agreeable way, by succeeding to a handsome fortune.
The last project of Mr Bewick was, to improve at once the taste and morals of the lower classes, particularly in the country, by a series of blocks on a large scale, to supersede the wretched, sometimes immoral, daubs with which the walls of cottages are too frequently clothed. A cut of an Old Horse, in- tended to head an Address on Cruelty to that noble animal, was his last production : the proof of it was brought to him from the press only three days before he died.
It may be observed, that, in the works of the early
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 37
masters, in the art of wood engraving, there was little more attempted than a bold outline. It remained for the burine of Bewick to produce a more complete and finished effect, by displaying a variety of tints, and producing a perspective, in a way that astonished even the copperplate engravers, by slightly lowering the surface of the block where the distance or lighter parts were to be shewn. This was first suggested by his early acquaintance Bulmer, who, during the period of their joint apprenticeship, invariably took off, at his master's office, proof-impressions of Be- wick's blocks. He particularly printed for his friend the engraving of the Huntsman and Old Hound, which, as has been already observed, obtained for the young artist the premium from the Society of Arts.
Mr Bewick was in person robust, well formed and healthy. He was fond of early rising, walking, and indulging in all the rustic and athletic sports so prevalent in the north of England. Many portraits of him have been engraved and published ; but the only full-length portrait of him was executed by Nicholson, and engraved by his pupil Ranson.* It
* Mr Audubon reminds me that there is another, and striking, full-length, by Mr Good, whose peculiar mode of throwing the light upon his portraits has been much
38 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
was afterwards proposed by a select number of his friends and admirers, to have a bust of him executed in marble, as a lasting memorial of the high regard they entertained for his genius and excellent charac- ter. The bust was executed by Baily with great fi- delity and taste ; and was presented, by the subscrib- ers, to the Council and Members of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle, and now occu- pies a situation in the most prominent part of the spacious library-room of that useful Institution.
Many anecdotes are current among his friends con- cerning the occasionsof many of his vignettes. Among others, one is told of a person, who had for many years supplied him with coals, being convicted of defraud- ing him in measure, on which occasion he sent him a letter of rebuke for his ingratitude and dishonesty- At the bottom of the letter, he sketched with his pen the figure of a man in a coal cart, accompanied by a representation of the devil close by his side, who is stopping the vehicle immediately under a gallows, beneath which was written, " The end and 'punish- ment of all dishonest men" This well-timed satire 80 affected the nervous system of the poor delinquent,
and deservedly admired : it is in the possession of the fa- mily.
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 39
that he immediately confessed his guilt, and on his knees implored his pardon. This small sketch was afterwards adopted as a tail- piece, which may be seen in the first volume of the British Birds, p. 110.* (First Edition.)
Mr Bewick was a man of warm attachments, par- ticularly to the younger branches of his family. It is known that, during his apprenticeship, he seldom failed to visit his parents once a week at Cherry-Burn, distant about fourteen miles from Newcastle ; and when the Tyne was so swelled with rain and land floods, that he could not get across, it was his prac- tice to shout over to them, and, having made inqui- ries after the state of their health, to return home.
In 1825, in a letter to an old crony in London, after describing with a kind of enthusiastic pleasure the domestic comforts which he daily enjoyed, lie says, ^' I' might fill you a sheet in dwelling on the merits of my young folks, without being a bit afraid of any remarks that might be made upon me, such
* In page 82 of the same volume is the representation of a cart-horse running away with some affrighted boys, who had got into the cart while the careless driver was drinking in a hedge-alehouse. It is observable, that the rapidity of the cart is finely expressed by the almost total disappear- ance of the spokes of the wheel ; a circumstance, it is be- lieved, never before noticed by an artist.
40 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
as ' look at the old fool, he thinks there's nobody iias sic bairns as he has.' In short, my son and three daughters do all in their power to make their parents happy."
Mr Bewick was naturally of the most persevering and industrious habits. The number of blocks he has engraved is almost incredible. At his bench be worked and whistled with the most perfect good hu- mour, from morn to night, and ever and anon thought the day too short for the extension of his labours. He did not mix much with the world, for he pos- sessed a singular and most independent mind. In the evening, indeed, when the work of the day was finished, be generally retired to a neighbouring public-house, to smoke his pipe, and drink his glass of porter with an old friend or two, who knew his haunt, and enjoyed the naivete and originality of his remarks. But he luxuriated in the bosom of his fa- mily ; and no pleasures he could enjoy in the latter stage of his life, were equal in his esteem to the ster- ling comforts of his own fireside. He died, as he had lived, an upright and truly honest man ; and breathed his last after a short illness, in the midst of his affectionate and disconsolate offspring, at his re* sidence in West Street, Gateshead, on Saturday November 8. 1828, in the 76th year of his age. His
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 41
remains were accompanied by a numerous train of friends, to the family burial-place at Ovingham, and deposited along with his parents, his wife (who had died February 1. 1826, aged 72), and his brother previously mentioned.*
Much more might be said of this distinguished artist. More has been said. In Blackwood's Maga- zine (for 1825), there is a very elegant critique upon Mr Bewick's works, f In the first volume of the Transactions of the Natural History Society of Newcastle, p. 132, is a Memoir of Mr Bewick, by George Clayton Atkinson, Esq., whose love of na- ture led him, while very young, to seek the acquaint- ance of our native artist, who was always ready to encourage rising merit. But amidst much judicious remark, there is a detail of particular conversations, &c. which, though highly interesting in this particu- lar neighbourhood, would probably not be so to the public at large. In the third volume of Audubon's
* There is an affecting tail-piece (the final one in his Fables, 1820), in which he describes " The End of All," representing his own funeral, with a view of the west end of Ovingham church, and the two family monuments fixed in the wall. And it may be interesting also to notice, as a proof of that family-attachment mentioned in p. 36, that the tail-piece in p. 162 of his Fables bears the date of his mother's, and that in p. 176 of his father's death.
f For an extract from which, see Note, p. 31.
42 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
Ornithological Biography, p. 300, an account of his interviews with Mr Bewick, during his residence in Newcastle, forms one of those delightful " Episodes" with which he contrives to enliven his accounts of birds. We have taken the liberty of quoting it.
" Through the kindness of Mr Selby of Twizel- House in Northumberland, I had anticipated the pleasure of forming an acquaintance with the cele- brated and estimable Bewick, whose works indicate an era in the history of the art of engraving on wood. In my progress southward, after leaving Edinburgh in 1827, I reached Newcastle-upon-Tyne about the middle of April, when Nature had begun to decorate anew the rich country around. The lark was in full song, the blackbird rioted in the exuberance of joy, the husbandman cheerily plied his healthful labours, and I, although a stranger in a foreign land, felt de- lighted with all around me, for I had formed friends who were courteous and kind, and whose favour I had reason to hope would continue. Nor have I been disappointed in my expectations.
" Bewick must have heard of my arrival at New- castle before I had an opportunity of calling upon him, for he sent me by his son the following note : — ' T. Bewick's compliments to Mr Audubon, and will
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 43
be glad of the honour of his company this day to tea at six o'clock.' These few words at once proved to me the kindness of his nature, and, as my labours were closed for the day, I accompanied the son to his father's house.
" As yet I had seen but little of the town, and had never crossed the Tyne. The first remarkable object that attracted my notice was a fine church, which my companion informed me was that of St. Nicholas. Passing over the river by a stone bridge of several arches, I saw by the wharfs a considerable number of vessels, among which I distinguished some of American construction. The shores on either side were pleasant, the undulated ground being or- namented with buildings, windmills, and glass-works. On the water glided, or were swept along by great oars, boats of singular form, deeply laden with the subterranean produce of the hills around.
'* At length we reached the dwelling of the en- graver, and I was at once shewn to his workshop. There I met the old man, who, coming towards me, welcomed me with a hearty shake of the hand, and for a moment took off a cotton night-cap, somewhat soiled by the smoke of the place. He was a tall stout man, with a large head, and with eyes placed farther apart than those of any man that 1 have ever
44 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWfCK.
seen : — a perfect old Englishman, full of life, althougli seventy-four years of age, active and prompt in his labours. Presently he proposed shewing me the work he was at, and went on with his tools. It was a small vignette, cut on a block of boxwood not more than three by two inches in surface, and represented a dog frightened at night by what he fancied to be living objects, but which were actually roots and branches of trees, rocks, and other objects bearing the semblance of men. This curious piece of art, like all his works, was exquisite, and more than once did I feel strongly tempted to ask a rejected bit, but was prevented by his inviting me up stairs, where, he said, I should soon meet all the best artists of Newcastle.
" There I was introduced to the Misses Bewick, amiable and affable ladies, who manifested all anxiety to render my visit agreeable. Among the visitors I saw a Mr Good, and was highly pleased with one of the productions of his pencil, a full-length miniature in oil of Bewick, well drawn, and highly finished.
" The old gentleman and I stuck to each other, he talking of my drawings, I of his wood-cuts. Now and then he would take off his cap, and draw up his grey worsted stockings to his nether clothes ; but whenever our conversation became animated, the re-
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 45
placed cap was left sticking as if by magic to the hind part of his head, the neglected hose resumed their downward tendency, his fine eyes sparkled, and he delivered his sentiments with a freedom and vi- vacity which afforded me great pleasure. He said he had heard that my drawings had been exhibited in Liverpool, and felt great anxiety to see some of them, which he proposed to gratify by visiting me early next morning along with his daughters and a few friends. Recollecting at that moment how de- sirous my sons, then in Kentucky, were to have a copy of his works on Quadrupeds, I asked him where I could procure one, when he immediately answered ' here,' and forthwith presented me with a beautiful set.
" The tea- drinking having in due time come to an end, young Bewick, to amuse me, brought a bagpipe of a new construction, called the Durham Pipe, and played some simple Scotch, English, and Irish airs, all sweet and pleasing to my taste. I could scarcely understand how, with his large fingers, he managed to cover each hole separately. The instrument sounded somewhat like a hautboy, and had none of the shrill warlike notes or booming sound of the Highland bagpipe. The company dispersed at an
46 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
early hour, and when I parted from Bewick that night, I parted from a friend.
" A few days after this I received another note from him, which I read hastily, having with me at the moment many persons examining my drawings. This note having, as I understood it, intimated his desire that I should go and dine with him that day, I accordingly went ; but judge of my surprise when, on arriving at his house at 3 o'clock, with an appe- tite becoming the occasion, I discovered that I had been invited to tea and not to dinner. However, the mistake was speedily cleared up to the satisfacti6n of all parties, and an abundant supply of eatables was placed on the table. The Reverend William Turner joined us, and the evening passed delight- fully. At first our conversation was desultory and multifarious, but when the table was removed, Be- wick took his seat at the fire, and we talked of our more immediate concerns. In due time we took leave, and returned to our homes, pleased with each other and with our host.
" Having been invited the previous evening to breakfast with Bewick at 8, I revisited him at that hour, on the 16th April, and found the whole family so kind and attentive that I felt quite at home. The
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 47
good gentleman, after breakfast, soon betook himself to his labours, and began to shew me, as he laugh- ingly said, how easy it was to cut wood ; but I soon saw that cutting wood in his style and manner was no joke, although to him it seemed indeed easy. His delicate and beautiful tools were all made by himself, and I may with truth say that his shop was the only artist's ' shop' that I ever found perfectly clean and tidy. In the course of the day Bewick called upon me again, and put down his name on my list of subscribers in behalf of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle. In this, how- ever, his enthusiasm had misled him, for the learned body for which he took upon himself to act, did not think proper to ratify the compact.
" Another invitation having come to me from Gatehead, I found my good friend seated in his usual place. His countenance seemed to me to beam with pleasure as he shook my hand. ' I could not bear the idea,' said he, ' of your going off, without telling you, in written words, what I think of your Birds of America. Here it is in black and white, and make of it what use you may, if it be of use at all.' I put the unsealed letter in my pocket, and we chatted on subjects connected with natural history. Now and then he would start and exclaim, ' Oh, that I
48 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
were young again ! I would go to America too. Hey ! what a country it will be, Mr Audubon.' I retorted by exclaiming, ' Hey ! what a country it is already, Mr Bewick !" In the midst of our conver- sation on birds and other animals, he drank my health and the peace of all the world in hot brandy toddy, and I returned the compliment, wishing, no doubt, in accordance with his own sentiments, the health of all our enemies. His daughters enjoyed the scene, and remarked, that, for years, their father had not been in such a flow of spirits.
" I regret that I have not by me at present the letter which this generous and worthy man gave me that evening, otherwise, for his sake, I should have presented you with it. It is in careful keeping, how- ever, as a memorial of a man whose memory is dear to me : and be assured I regard it with quite as much pleasure as a manuscript * Synopsis of the Birds of America,' by Alexander Wilson, which this cele- brated individual gave to me at Louisville in Ken- tucky, more than twenty years ago. Bewick's let- ter, however, will be presented to you along wiilt many others, in connection with some strange facts, which I hope may be useful to the world. We pro- tracted our conversation much beyond our usual time of retiring to rest, and at his earnest request, and
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEVVICK. 49
much to my satisfaction, I promised to spend the next e7ening with him, as it was to be my last at Newcastle for some time.
" On the 19th of the same month I paid him my last visit, at his house. When we parted, he repeat- ed three times, 'God preserve you, God bless you!' He must have been sensible of the emotion which I felt, and which he must have read in my looks, al- though I refrained from speaking on the occasion.
" A few weeks previous to the death of this fer- vent admirer of nature, he and his daughters paid me a visit to London. He looked as well as when I had seen him at Newcastle. Our interview was short but agreeable, and when he bade adieu, I was certainly far from thinking that it might be the last. But so it was, for only a very short time had elapsed when I saw his death announced in the newspapers. " My opinion of this remarkable man is, that he was purely a son of nature, to whom alone he owed nearly all that characterized him as an artist and a man. Warm in his affections, of deep feeling, and possessed of a vigorous imagination, with correct and penetrating observation, he needed little extraneous aid to make him what he became, the first engraver on wood that England has produced. Look at his tail-pieces, Reader, and say if you ever saw so much
VOL. VI. D
50 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK.
life represented before, from the glutton who pre- cedes the Great Black-backed Gull, to the youngsters flying their kite, the disappointed sportsman who, by shooting a magpie, has lost a woodcock, the horse endeavouring to reach the water, the bull roaring near the style, or the poor beggar attacked by the rich man's mastiff. As you turn each successive leaf, from beginning to end of his admirable books, scenes calculated to excite your admiration every- where present themselves. Assuredly you will agree with me in thinking that in his peculiar path none has equalled him. There may be men now, or some may in after years appear, whose works may in some respects rival or even excel his, but not the less must Thomas Bewick of Newcastle-on-Tyne be considered in the art of engraving on wood what Linnseus will ever be in natural history, though not the founder, yet the enlightened improver and illustrious pro- moter."
It was indeed hoped that more might have been learned of Bewick from his own pen ; for it is known that he had, to fill up the vacant evenings of the last two years of his life, devoted his attention to writing a memoir of himself, for which he had prepared por- traits and profiles of several of his friends, together
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 51
with several other engravings. But his children, find- ing, probably, that much related to events and cir- cumstances that principally concerned themselves, and family affairs, which, however interesting to themselves, might not be so to the public, or might subject them to the imputation of vanity, have, with a delicacy that cannot but be respected, declined its publication.
( 53 )
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS,
OR
FAMILY PSITTACID^.
In presenting to our readers a volume containing the natural history of the Parrots, or family Psitta- cidcBj we have to direct their attention to an assem- blage of birds, not less remarkable for the peculiarity of their form, the gay, varied, and in many instances, splendid plumage in which they are attired, than for the intelligence and docility so many evince in a state of captivity or domestication, and the peculiar faci- lity possessed by several species of imitating the in- tonations of the human voice, and learning by rote words, and even sentences, which they remember and repeat with clearness and precision ; a faculty, it may be remarked, confined to these birds, and to some few of the SturnidcB and Cormdce members of the Conirostral Tribe, — another primary division of the Typical Order Insessores.
54 HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
According to the natural system, or that founded upon the affinities which connect the various mem- hers of tlie feathered race, and which has been so ably illustrated and confirmed by the writings of Vigors, Swainson, and other eminent ornithologists of our own country, the Psittacidce^ or family of the Parrots, belong to the order Insessores, and to that primary division which has been named Scansores, in accordance with the climbing and prehensile powers of its typical members. In this Tribe or Division, it forms one of the five circular groups or families into which it primarily resolves itself, the other four being represented by the Picidce, or Wood- peckers ; the Ramphastidce, or Toucans ; the Cu- culidcB, or Cuckoos; and the CerthiadcBy or Creepers, In its own tribe, it constitutes one of the typical, or, according to Mr Swainson's views, the sub-typical group, as it possesses powers of grasping and climb- ing superior to those of three of the above or Aber- rant Groups, and inferior in some respects only to those of the eminently typical PicidcB. To any ob- jection that the station thus assigned to this remark- able family is at present rather assumed than borne out by facts, or proved by direct affinity, it may be observed, that although its connexion with the other groups of the tribe is not of so close or direct a nature as might be wished for, in consequence of some of the links necessary to complete the chain of affinity being deficient or unknown ; still its general agreements in form and habits are sufficiently pro-
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
55
minent to shew that its relationship to the other scansorial groups is of a degree much nearer than what it bears to any other tribe ; and farther, that its apparent isolation, or want of a still closer con- nexion with the birds among which it is placed, in all probability arises, merely from the circumstance that the species necessary to fill up this chasm or deficiency of connecting forms, though existing, re- main yet to be discovered either in it or the conter- minous families of the tribe. Previous to the en- lightened and philosophic views of recent naturalists respecting systematic arrangement, and the discovery that all natural groups, of whatever value or extent they may be, arrange themselves in a circular form, or shew a disposition to return into themselves, the parrots, under the Linnsean and other artificial sys- tems, were considered as forming a single isolated genus, under the title of Psittacus, the various mo- difications of form they exhibited being only consi- dered in the light of specific characters, or at most used for arbitrary sectional division. A comparison, however, of the parrots with other extensive groups, and a due consideration of the great diversity of form, as well as of habits and manners, observed to prevail among them, plainly shews that they are entitled to a rank much higher or more comprehensive than that of Genus, which, according to the now gene- rally received acceptation of the term, is used to de- signate one of the lowest assemblages of individuals or species. In consequence, the Linnaean genus,
.36 HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
Psittacus, has taken a higher rank in the natural sys- tem, and has been placed upon an equality with groups of a similar value, under the denomination of Famili/, subordinate to which are other less comprehensive circles or assemblages of species, the next in extent being that of Sub-family. Of groups of the latter denomination, the five following have been indicated by Mr Swainson, whose views in this primary divi- sion of the family we are inclined to prefer to that formerly proposed by Mr Vigors, in the second vo- lume of the Zoological Journal, as being more in accordance with the natural affinities, structure, and economy of the species ; and though a stricter exa- mination and analysis is still required to ascertain the precise situation of species whose history is but little known, we have sufficient to mark the proper- ties and peculiarities which distinguish these primary groups.
The first is that of Macrocercma, and is composed of the splendidly attired Maccaws, all of which are confined to America, as well as the nearly allied forms now distinguished by the generic titles of Arara, Aratinga, and Psittacara. In this division also we place a group of Birds belonging to the an- cient Continent, viz. the genus PalcEornis, Vigors. Instead of considering it, as he does, the type of a subfamily, this division constitutes one of the nor- mal, or, according to Mr Swainson, the subtypica5 group of the family, and is analogous to the denti- rostral tribe of the Insessores, and consequently, ir^
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 57
its own circle, is the representative of the Raptorial Order.
The second sub-family is that of Psitticina, re- presented by the short and even-tailed species usual- ly called par excellence Parrots ; they are found distributed throughout all the divisions of the globe within the tropics. This is the typical group of the Psittacidae, and is analogous to the conirostral tribe of the Insessores.
The third is called Plyctolophinay or Cockatoo Division, containing the birds familiarly known by that name, as well as the Black, and other nearly allied species. They are natives of India, its islands, and Australia. These represent the Scansores, and consequently the Rasorial Order, in their own fa- mily.
The fourth is named Loriana, from a group of parrots generally known by the name of Lories, na- tives of India and its islands. It also contains the numerous members of the genus Trichoglossus, Vi- gors, and several other generic forms belonging to Australia, all of which are distinguished from the rest of the Psittacidae by their comparatively slender hill and papillose tongue. This division beautifully represents the Tenuirostres, and is the Grallatorial group of the Psittacidae.
The fifth is that of the Broad-tails, or sub-family Plati/cercina, composed of the beautiful genus Pla- tycerciiSy Vigors, and of the other ground or slender- legged parrots of Australia. In it we are also in-
58 HISTORY Oh THE PARROTS.
clined to place the black parrots of Madagascar, known by the name of Vasa. This division is con- sidered as analogous to the fissirostral tribe of the Insessores.
By BufFon, and other naturalists of an early date, the geographical distribution of the parrots was sup- posed to be confined to the sultry climates within the Tropics. The discoveries made during the va- rious scientific voyages which have since explored the globe, and the keen research that of late years has been instituted in pursuit of objects of natural history, have, however, shewn that it is much wider in extent, particularly in the southern hemisphere, where species have been found in latitudes as high as 50°, examples having been discovered and brought from the Straits of Magellan. In the northern he- misphere, the limit appears to be more restricted, as the Carolina parrakeet of North America, and some few African species, are seldom seen beyond the 32d or 33d degrees. The Equatorial Regions must, how- ever, be considered the metropolis of the family, as it is in them that the greatest variety of genera are met with, the species which inhabit the higher or colder latitudes, though numerous, belonging to a very limited number of generic forms. In the ma- jority of this famil)^ we find a plumage which, for richness and variety of colour, yields to few of the feathered race ; and though, like the tulip among flowers, it may by some be thought gaudy, and com- posed of colours too violently and abruptly contrast-
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 59
ed to give that satisfaction to the eye which a more chastened, or rather a less abrupt, intermixture of tints is wont to produce, still we think no one can examine or look at some of the gorgeously decked Maccaws, the splendid and effulgent Lories, or the diversified tints of the Australian Parrakeets, with- out acknowledging them to be among the most beautiful and striking of the feathered race.
In the first, second, and fifth subfamilies, the ground or prevailing colour is green, generally of a lively tint, and varying from grass to sap and emerald-green, as expressed in Syme's Nomenclature of Colours, Upon this groundwork, patches of almost every known or possible hue are to be found in one or other of the species. In the subfamily Plyctolophnia alone we meet with a more uniform and plain attire, the true cockatoos being white, or white tinged more or less with rosy red or pale yellow. The other forms in this group are black or greenish-black, some- times relieved with large masses of red or yellow upon the tail. In texture the plumage may be called firm, close, and adpressed, in some species even as- suming a scaled or tiled appearance. The general form of the Psittacidse may be stated as short, strong, and compact, but as deficient in elegance, in the short and even- tailed species, in which the great bulk of the head and bill seems disproportioned to the rest of the body. In the parrakeets, this dispro- portion is done away with, or at least in a great de- gree counteracted by the elongation of the tail, and
60 HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
many of them exhibit an elegance of form and grace- fulness of carriage surpassed by few other birds. The formation of the feet, which are zygodactihi or with the toes placed two forwards and two backwards, and, in all but the few aberrant species previously ad- verted to, expressly adapted and formed for firm pre- hension and climbing, evidently points to woods and forests as the appropriate and natural habitats of the race. It is accordingly in those regions where the trees are clothed in perpetual verdure, and where a constant and never-failing succession of fruits and seeds (the common food and support of the tribe) can always be procured, that the parrots are found in the greatest numbers and profusion. Thus the recesses of the interminable forests of South America are enlivened by the presence of the superb Maccaws, and the nearly allied species of the genus Psittacara ; those of India and its islands by the elegantly-shaped members of the genus Palseoniis, and the scarlet- clothed Lories ; while those of Australia resound with the harsh voice of the Cockatoos, and the shriller screams of the nectivorous Trichoglossi, and broad- tailed Parrakeets or Platycerci. In these their natu- ral situations, their movements are marked by an ease and gracefulness we can never see exhibited in a state of confinement. They are represented as climb- ing about the branches in every direction, and as suspending themselves from them in every possible attitude ; in all which movements they are greatly assisted by their hooked and powerful bill, which is
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 61
used, like the foot, as an organ of prehension and support. The pointed and ample wing, which we perceive to prevail among the parrots, indicates a corresponding power of flight ; and accordingly we learn from those who have enjoyed the enviable op- portunity of seeing- and studying them in their na- tive wilds, that it is rapid, elegant, and vigorous, capable of being long sustained, and that many of the species are in the habit of describing circles and other aerial evolutions, previous to their alighting upon the trees which contain their food. Thus Au- dubon, in his account of the Carolina Parrakeet, says, " Their flight is rapid, straight, and continued through the forests, or over fields and rivers, and is accom- panied by inclinations of the body, which enable the observer to see alternately their upper and under parts. They deviate from a direct course only when impediments occur, such as trunks of trees or houses, in which case they glance aside in a very graceful manner, as much as may be necessary. A general cry is kept up by the party, and it is seldom that one of these birds is on wing for ever so short a space, without uttering its cry. On reaching a spot which aflfords a supply of food, instead of alighting at once, as many birds do, the parakeets take a good survey of the neighbourhood, passing over it in circles of great extent, first above the trees, and then gradually lowering, until they almost touch the ground, when, suddenly reascending, they all settle on the tree that bears the fruit of which they are in
62 HISTORY OP THE PARROTS.
quest, or on one close to the field in which they ex- pect to regale themselves."
Many of the species are gregarious, and except during the breeding season, are always seen in large and numerous bodies ; others, as the black cockatoos, are met with in pairs or families. The places se- lected for hatching their eggs, and rearing their young, are the hollows of decayed trees, they make little or no nest, but deposit their eggs, which, ac- cording to the species, vary from two to five or six in number, upon the bare rotten wood. In these hollows, it is said, they also frequently roost during the night, and such we learn is the practice of the bird previously mentioned, for the same author ob- serves, " Their roosting place is in hollow trees, and the holes excavated by the larger species of Wood- peckers, as far as these can be filled by them. At dusk, a flock of parrakeets may be seen alighting against the trunk of a sycamore or any other tree, where a considerable excavation exists within it. Immediately below the entrance, the birds all cling to the bark, and crawl into the hole to pass the night. When such a hole does not prove sufficient to hold the whole flock, those around the entrance hook themselves on by their claws and the tip of the up- per mandible, and look as if hanging by the bill. I have," he adds, " frequently seen them in such po- sitions by means of a glass, and am satisfied that the bill is not the only support used in such cases."
The natural voice or notes of the tribe consist en-
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 63
tirely of hoarse or shrill and piercing screams, with little or no modulation, and frequently reiterated during flight, as well as when otherwise engaged in feeding, bathing, or preserving their plumage. The power of imitating the human voice, and learning to articulate a variety of words and sentences, is not possessed by all the species, but is principally con- fined to the short and even-tailed parrots, in which the tongue is large, broad, and fleshy at the tip. In disposition, with the exception of one or two forms, they are quiet and docile, and easily reconciled to confinement, even when taken at an adult age. Their flesh is said to be tender and well flavoured, particularly that of the younger birds, and is fre- quently used as food in the districts they inhabit. The general characters of the family are — bill convex, large, deflected, thick, and strong. The upper man- dible, overhanging the under, hooked at the tip, and furnished with a small cere at the base, the under mandible thick, ascending, and forming when closed, an angle with the upper. Tongue thick, fleshy, and soft. Nostrils round, placed in the cere at the base of the bill. Feet scansorial, the external toes longer than the inner. In regard to their internal anatomy, we may here observe that the bill is furnished with additional and powerful muscles, and that the intes- tinal canal is of great length and destitute of coeca.
We shall now proceed to describe the examples selected to illustrate the different groups, making
64 HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
such farther observations as may be required upon the subfamilies and genera as they occur.
We shall commence with the subfamily of the MacrocercincB or Maccaws, which, in its own fa- mily, is analogous to the dentirostral tribe of the In- ■sessores, and represents the subtypical group of the PsittacidcB, By Mr Vigors, in the view he has taken of the distribution of the Parrots, this subfamily is restricted to the Maccatvs properly so called, a group arranging itself under one, or at most, two generic types, the other American long-tailed Panots, as well as those belonging to the ancient world, being all included in another division to which he gave the name of Palceornina. To this distribution there are strong and manifold objections, uniting as it does in one great group, birds differing essentially in structure as well as habit, such as the Lories and other nectivorous Parrots, and those various ge- nera which compose the Platycercine subfamily, which depart so far from the true scansorial spe- cies in their character and general habits. It is on this account, and as being more in accordance with the natural affinities of the race, that we have adopted the suggestions of Mr Swainson, in regard to the primary divisions of this family, though we must add, that much additional information is re- quired to work out the details, and that there are many species whose exact station remains doubtful, and which further analysis and observation can alone
HISTORY OF THE PARROTS. 65
satisfactorily resolve. In addition to the true Maccaws, the typical form of this subfamily, it appears natu- rally to embrace many of the other American long- tailed species, now divided into separate generic groups (except by Wagler, who retains the whole under the single genius Sittace), one of which has been characterized under the title of Psittacara, Vigors, answering nearly to the Peruche-Aras of the French ornithologists, the members of which are distinguished by having the orbits and face to a greaier or less extent naked, as exhibited in the spe- cies selected for illustration. Another is composed of the species in which those parts are feathered, and for which the title of Aratinga has been proposed, though it is probable that a still further generic sub- division of this latter group will be required. In this division, also, we would place the long-tailed Parrots of the ancient world, forming the genus Pa- IcBornisy Vigors, a group whose history and distri- bution he has traced with such acumen and classic lore in the pages of the Zoological Journal. With this group we shall commence our illustrations, as it is through one of its members, the PalcBornis Barra- bandi, Vigors, that a connexion appears to be sup- ported with the Platycercine or broad-tailed division, which stands at the further extremity of the circle of the Psittacidce. This bird, with the tail and general character of PaI<^ornis, exhibiting a near approach in the proportions of its legs and feet to the genus Platycercus, Vigors, of whose region or metropolis
VOL. VI. E
66 HISTORY OF THE PARROTS.
it is also a native. The passage from the Ring- Par- rakeets to the smaller American species, appears to be effected through those species in which the two central tail feathers begin to lose the peculiar cha- racter of the typical form, and the culmen of the bill assumes the ridged or triangulate shape that pre- vails in that American group of which Psitt. cruen- tatus, Temm., may be taken as an example ; these are followed by the larger species, as Psitt. Caroli- nensis and Patachonica, which lead to the Maccaws by such members as have the cheeks partly feathered. Following the naked cheeked maccaws, we would place the true Psittacara, in which the orbits and part of the face is also naked, and the bill large and powerful, such as Psitt. acuticauda, nobilis, &c. The passage to the next subfamily, or Psitticina^ seems to be through Psitt. macrorynchus {Tany- gnathus macrorynchus. Wag.)? and other species, in which the tail loses its elongate and graduated
67
Genus PAL^EORNIS.
The genus PalcBornis, as characterized by Mr Vigors, is distinguished by having the bill thickish, with the upper mandible dilated, the culmen rounded, the tomia deeply toothed or emarginate, the inferior mandible wide, short, and emarginate. Tongue thick and smooth. Wings of mean length, the three first quills the longest, and nearly equal; exterior webs of the second, third, and fourth quills dilated near the middle, tapering towards the apex. Tail graduated with the two middle feathers slender, greatly exceeding the rest in length, with their tips rounded. Feet, the tarsi rather short, claws strong and falcate.
" The birds," Mr Vigors observes, " that compose this genus, are at first sight distinguished by their superior elegance and gracefulness of form. This character is considerably increased by the construc- tion of the tail, the two middle feathers of which far exceed the rest in length." The different species of Palcsornis known to us, are inhabitants of continen- tal India, its islands, and Africa, with the exception of the PalcB, Barrabandi, which is a native of Aus- tralia. They are held in high esteem for their beau-
68 GENUS PAL^ORNIS.
ty, as well as for their docility and imitative powers, which seem equal, or but little inferior, to those of the short and even-tailed kinds. Our first figure represents the
illl
III
it'
1
PLATE I.
PAL^EOKNIS BAREABANDT.
Barraband Eing- Parrakeel
69
BARRABAND RING-PARRAKEET.
Palaomis Barrabandi. — Vigors.
PLATE I.
Palaeornis Barrabandi, Vigors, in Zool. Journ. vol. ii. p. 56,
Sp. 10 Psittacus Barrabandi, Swains. Zool. Illust. vol. i.
p. 59. — Polytelis Barrabandi, Wagler, in Abhand. &c., p. 519 — Scarlet-breasted Parrot, Lath. Gen. Syn. vol. ii. p. 121, P. 24, Ed. 2.
In this handsome hird, we have one of those in- teresting forms which so beautifully connect groups, otherwise distant and far removed ; for though the character and shape of the tail, the well-defined ring or neck-collar, the proportions of the wings, &c., evi- dently place it in this genus, its elevated tarsi and feet shew an approach to the Broad-tailed Divi- sion (Platytercinae), which stands at the further ex- tremity of the Psittacean Family. It is also a native of New Holland, in which interesting country so many species of Platycercus have been discovered, the rest of the ring-parrakeets, being the greater part of them natives of Continental India, and its neigh- bouring islands, and one or two are also met with
70 BARRABAND RING-PARRAKEET.
in Africa. It was first figured by Mr Swainson, in his elegant and valuable " Illustrations," under the name of Psittacus Barrabandi, from a skin in the possession of Mr Leadbeater ; but as no observations or notes appear to have accompanied the remains of the bird, we are without information as to its pecu- liar economy. Judging, however, from the propor- tions of its legs and feet, we are led to suppose that it is more terrestrial in its habits than its congeners, or that, in addition to its scansorial or grasping powers, it possesses superior activity, and moves with greater facility upon the ground. In size it is about equal to the Rose-ring Parrakeet, its length being full 13 inches, of which the tail alone measures 8| inches. The bill is red ; the sinciput, throat, and fore-neck of a rich yellow, the latter terminated by a collar of brick red ; the space between the bill and eyes, and the ear- coverts, are clear grass green ; the upper and under parts of the body are green, tinged with blue upon the hind head and outer mar- gins of the quill-feathers. The upper surface of the tail is green, the two intermediate feathers about two inches longer than any of the others, with their ex- tremities widened and rounded ; under surface of the wings and tail blackish-brown ; legs black. By Wagler this bird was removed from the genus Pa- Iseornis, and constitutes his genus Polytelis ; but as the only character upon which it is established consists in the slight elongation and slenderness of the tarsi and toes, we have retained it among the
BARRABAND RING-PARRAKEET. 71
Ring-Parrakeets, where it was first placed by M. Vigors, and of which group it may be considered a slightly aberrant form. The next figure represents the typical species of this genus ; it is the
72
ALEXANDRINE RING-PARRAKEET.
PalcBornis Alexandri — Vigors.
PLATE II.
Palaeornis Alexandri, Vigors, Zool. Jour. vol. ii. p. 49 — Wagler, in Abhand, &c., p. 506. — Psittacus torquatus Macrourus antiquorum, Aldrov. Aves. vol. i. p. 678 ;
Icon. p. 679 Psittacus Alexandri, Linn. Lath. &c —
Perruche a Collier des Isles Maldives. Buff. PI. Enl. p. 642. — Le Grand Perruche a collier, Le Vaill. Hist, des
Per. pi. 30 Alexandrine Parrot, Lath. Syn. vol. i.
p. 234, No. 37.— Ring-Parrakeet, Edwards, pi- 292.— Alexandrine Parrakeet, Shawns Zool. vol. viii. p. 423.
In the figure of this elegant bird, our readers are introduced to a well known and favourite species of modern times, and which is generally supposed to have been the first, and by many the only one known to the ancient Greeks, having been discovered during the expeditions of the Macedonian conqueror, by whose followers it was brought to Europe from the ancient Tabropane, now the Island of Ceylon. At all events, it is evident from the concurrent testi- mony of various ancient authors, that whatever par-
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■ tbe figure of tliia elegant bird
mnny the only one know
PLATE 2.
PALj£ORNIS ALBXANDRI.
Alexandrine rinsj-Parrateet.
ALEXANDRINE RING-PARRAKEET. 73
rots were known, either to the Greeks or Romans, previous to the time of Nero, were exclusively brought from India or its islands, and that the spe- cies, if more than one had been introduced, also be- longed to the genus now in the course of illustration, the description they have given of the plumage of these birds pointing distinctly to this, and possibly one or two other nearly allied species, as not only the prevailing colour of the body, but that of the bill, and the distinguishing characteristic, the neck- collar, are particularly mentioned. By Aristotle it is called % Iv^ikov o^viov — the Indian Bird ; and Pliny not only mentions the country from whence it came, but adds, *' Sittacen vocat, viridem toto corpore tor- que tantum miniato in cervice distinctam." Its imi- tative qualities and powers of articulation, and the high estimation in which it was held among the great, are also fiequently adverted to by the poets ; and it was in commemoration of a favourite bird of this species, that Ovid composed that beautiful elegy, commencing —
" Psittacus, Eois imitatrix ales ab oris, Occidit."
Of this elegy a free translation is given in Shaw's Zoology, to which, from its length, we must refer our readers. The Alexandrine, as well as its con- gener the Rose-ring Parrakeet, are still highly prized, and frequently brought from the East Indies, as, in
VOL. VI. F
74 ALEXANDRINE RING-PARRAKEET.
age, they possess great docility, and a facility of pro- nunciation inferior to none of the race. Of their habits in a state of nature we remain comparatively ismorant.
I
2
their
^
iTVirS^^^tSLWi
PLATE
PAL^ORJflS MALACCEUSIS.
Malac ca ?vm£--PaiTakee i .
75
MALACCA RING-PARRAKEET.
Pal(Bornis Malaccensis. — Vigors.
* PLATE III.
Palaeornis Malaccensis, Vig. Zool. Journ. ii. p. 52 ; Wag- ler, Mon, Psit. in Abhand. &c. p. 514 Psittacus Malac- censis, Gme^. vol. i. p. 325, No. 74 — Psittacus erubescens, Shaw''s Zool. vol. viii. p. 437. — Psittacus barbatulatus, Bechst. Kuhl. Nov. Acta. &c.. No. 38 — La Peruche a nuque et joues rouges,/,^ Vaill. pi. 72. — Blossom-cheek- ed Parrakeet, Shaw.
A DRAWING of this beautiful species having been made by mistake, instead of a bird belonging to a different division, but bearing the same specific title, is the cause of a third illustration of this genus being given. In its form and aspect it appears eminently typical, the two intermediate tail-feathers being very long, and extending far beyond the others, narrow, but equal in breadth towards their tips, which are blunt or slightly rounded. As its name imports, it was first observed and introduced from Malacca. Its distribution, however, is not confined to that part of India alone, as Mr Vigors mentions in his obser- vations on this gi'oup of the Psittacidse, that several
76 MALACCA RING-PARRAKEET.
specimens were brought to this country from Suma- tra by the late lamented Sir Stamford Raffles. la size it about equals the PalcBornis Bengalensis (Rose- headed Ring-parrakeet, a bird of very similar form and habit), its extreme length being generally full four- teen inches, of which the tail alone measures eight. The upper mandible is of a fine lively red, the tip paler, the under mandible black tinged with red. The crown of the head is sap-green ; the cheeks, nape, and back part of the neck, are of a beautiful deep rose-red, tinged with lilac-purple upon the latter part. The oblique mustachio-like collar is deep black. The lower part of the neck and mantle are fine greenish-blue ; the rest of the upper and under plumage is yellowish sap-green, palest upon the thighs and vent. The quills are margined with blue, their under surface being black. The two long intermediate tail-feathers are azure-blue, tinged with purple towards their tips ; the lateral tail-fea- thers are yellowish-green. The legs and feet are grey, tinged with flesh-red.
Besides the three species here figured, ten or ele- ven more are described by Mr Vigors and Wagler ; the latter, in his Monograph of the family, has be- stowed much attention in collating the various syno- nyms of the species. According to his list^they con- sist of, — I. Pal. Alexandri ; 2. PaL cubicularis, identical with the P. torquatus and bitorquatus of Vigors, and the young of which is supposed to be the Pal. inornatus of the same author : 3. Pal. Bor-
MALACCA RING-PARRAKEET. 77
neus^ apparently referable to the P. erythrocephalus, Vigors ; 4. Pal. melanorynchus^ a species apparent- ly hitherto confounded with the Pal. Pondicerianus, of authors, and not distinguished by Vigors; 5. Pal. Pondicerianus ; 6. Pal. barhatus, by other writers a supposed variety of P. Pondicer., not distinguished as a species in Mr Vigors's list; 7. Pal. Malaccensis ; 8. Pal. Be?igalensis ; 9. Pal. cyanocephalus, the same as the P. flavitorquis of Vigors ; 1 0. Pal. columboi- deSi first described by Mr Vigors in the Zoological Journal ; and Pal, inornatus, the Psittacus incarna- tus of authors, a bird whose station in this group, according to Wagler's own account, appears "rery doubtful. The engraving expresses so correctly the character and plumage of the bird, as to render it unnecessary to give a detailed description. We may mention, however, that the young bird is without the black and rosy coloured collar which distinguishes the adult, in which state it is known as the Psitta- cus eupatria of authors.
From the Ring-Parrakeets of Asia and Africa we now pass to the Long-tailed groups of South Ame- rica, the great metropolis of the Macrocercine Divi- sion ; for here are found not only the typical forms of the subfamily as exhibited in the large and splen- did Maccaws, but other species more nearly con- nected in habit and appearance with the birds be-
78 MALACCA RING-PARRAKEET.
longing to the ancient world. Among these may be particularized an extensive group, mostly consisting of birds of moderate size, in which the immediate orbits of the eyes alone are naked ; these form a part of M. Spix's genus Aratinga, and, as represen- tatives of it, the Psittacus cruentaius, Temminck, and Psitt. leucotis, Lich., may be quoted. From this group we would separate several larger species, as Psitt. Carolinensis, Auctor, &c., under the name of Arara, Spix, reserving the title of Psittacara for another group, in which the bill is much larger, with the tip drawn to a fine point, and having the orbits and part of the face naked, characters which bring it in near connexion with the large bare-cheeked Maccaws. Of this group, the Psittacus nobilis, Linn<, Psittacara Jrontata, Vig., is an example. As the limits of the volume only permit of a certain number of illustrations, we have selected a species of the second or Arara genus, which, from its size and appearance, seems to lead directly to the genus Macrocercus : it is the
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ARARA PATAGOXK A
Palag-ouiaii Aiav;u
79
PATAGONIAN ARARA,
Arara Patagonica. — Lesson.
PLATE IV.
Psittacus Patagonicus, Azara — Arara Patagonica, Lesson^ in Dupp. Voy. autour du Monde, Part Zool. tab. 35.— < Sittace Patagonica, Wagler, in Abhand. ^c, p. 659. — Pa- tagonian Parrakeet Maccaw, hears' Parrots.
This large and fine looking species, whose total length is seventeen inches, the tail measuring nearly nine, was first described by Azara, and is a native of Paraguay, the districts of Buenos Ayres, Pa- tagonia, and Chili. In the latter country, it is de- scribed as a most abundant species, and is resident the whole year, frequenting the hilly and subalpine regions during the summer, where it breeds in the holes of trees and rocks, but descending as autumn approaches to the lower levels, where it congregates in immense flocks, and frequently does great injury to the produce of the gardens and cultivated fields of the inhabitants. It is said to be of a bold and fearless disposition, admitting of a near approach, which subjects it to be killed in immense numbers by those who suflFer from its depredations. Like its
80 PATAGONIAN ARARA.
congener the Carolina Arara, it is continually utter- ing its piercing screams, as well when perched as upon wing. It is easily tamed, and can be taught to imi- tate the human voice, but more imperfectly than some of its congeners, on which account it is held in slight estimation, and but seldom domesticated by the in- habitants. In Patagonia, it extends nearly as far as the straits of Magellan, a southern latitude much higher than any frequented by this tribe in the northern hemisphere, where the limit of their distri- bution rarely extends beyond the 32d degree. The drawing from which our plate is engraved, was taken by Mr Lear, from a living specimen in the Zoologi- cal Gardens, and though inferior in scale, possesses perhaps as much of life and character as that con- tained in his large and beautiful work, " Illuslrations of the Psittacidse." The bill is of a blackish coloui-, short and thick at the base. The orbits are naked and white, the space between the bill and eyes fea- thered, the head and upper part of the neck are blackish-green, tinged with yellow around the eyes, the lower neck is greenish -grey, succeeded by a pec- toral collar or gorget of greenish^ white, the lower part of the breast is deep greenish-grey. The sides and flanks are yellow, upon the thighs tinged with green. The middle of the abdomen is vermilion red. The back and lesser wing coverts are dusky yellow- ish-green, the greater coverts and secondary quills are bluish-green, narrowly margined with yellow. The tail is long and lanceolate, of a dingy yellowish-
CAROLINA ARARA. 81
green, the tips of the feathers passing into bluish- green. The under surface is greenish-black. The legs and toes are flesh red, tinged with grey.
CAROLINA ARARA.
Arara Carolinensis.
Psittacus Carolinensis, Lmn. Si/st. 1. p. 141. 13 Lath. Ind.
Orn. 1. p. 93. sp. 33.— C^a*. Buon. Syn. p. 41 Sittace
Ludoviciana, Wagler, in Abhand. ^c. p. GoQ Carolina
Parrot, Lath. Syn. 1. p. 227 Wils. Amer. Orn. 3. p. 89.
pi. 26, fig. I.— Id. ed. Sir IV. Jardine, 1. p. 376 Audu-
bon's Birds of Amer. v. 1. p. 135. pi. 26.
The great body of the Psittacidce, as already observed, are natives of the intertropical climates ; but the species now under consideration is one of the few that occurs in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. It is a native of the North American continent, inhabiting the United States to a latitude as high as 42°. Such, at least, was the case some fifteen or twenty years ago, when Alexander Wilson was engaged in tracing out the history of the birds inhabiting the States ; for we find, on turning to his delightful pages, that then it not only prevailed throughout Louisiana and the shores of the Mississippi and Ohio, but also those of their tributary waters as high as Lake Michigan, in lat. 42^ N, We learn, however, from a living
VOL. VI. G
82 CAROLINA ARARA.
author,* scarcely less graphic or original in his de- scriptive powers, that of late years these birds have rapidly diminished in number, and that they are now almost banished from districts where formerly they used to abound. " At that period," (speak- ing of twenty- five years ago), " they could be procured as far up the tributary waters of the Ohio as the great Kenhawa, the Scioto, the heads of the Miami, the mouth of the Manimee at its junction with Lake Erie, on the Illinois river, and sometimes as far north-east as Lake Ontario, and along the eastern districts as far as the boundary line between Virginia and Maryland. At the present day, few are to be found higher than Cincinnati, nor is it un- til you reach the mouth of the Ohio that parakeets are met with in considerable numbers. I should think that along the Mississippi there is not now half the number that existed fifteen years ago." A rapidly increasing population, attended by an ex- tended cultivation, and the consequent destruction of many of those ancient and decayed trees which constituted the dormitories and breeding sites of the species, as well as the war constantly waged against them by the husbandman, as the depredators of the orchard and corn-stacks, are probably the chief causes of their rapid diminution in those parts which they formerly enlivened with their gay and varied plu- mage. We learn from both authors, that, when en- gaged in feeding, they are easily approached, and * J. J. Audubon.
CAROLINA ARARA. 83
numbers killed by one discbarge, as tbe wbole flock alight and feed close to each other. The work of destruction, moreover, is not confined to a single shot; for we are told, that " the survivors rise, shriek, fly round for a few minutes, and again alight on the very place of most imminent danger. The gun is kept at work ; eight, ten, or even twenty are killed at every discharge, the living birds, as if con- scious of the death of their companions, sweep over their bodies, screaming as loud as ever, but still re- turn to the stack to be shot at, until so few remain alive, that the farmer does not consider it worth his while to spend more of his ammunition." Injurious, however, as they no doubt frequently are to the cultivator, their principal food is said to be the Cockle-burr, the seed of the Zanthium strumarium, a plant that abounds throughout the rich alluvial lands of the States west of the Alleghany Moun- tains : it is a weed noxious to the husbandman on many accounts, and the consumption of its seed by the Parrots must therefore be of some advantage, though that is unfortunately for them greatly dimi- nished, from the circumstance of its possessing a perennial I'oot.
Like the rest of the group to which it belongs, the Carolina Arara appears incapable of learning to articulate words, though, when captured, it soon be- comes tame, and will eat almost immediately after- wards. Wilson gives a long and interesting account of an individual that he had wounded slightly in the
84 CAROLINA ARARA.
wing, (luring one of his excursions, and which he carried for a great distance in his pocket. It soon became familiarized to confinement, learnt to know its name, to come when called on, to sit on his shoulder, climb up his clothes, eat from his mouth, &c. On account of its inability to articulate, and its loud disagreeable screams, it is seldom kept caged in America; and, as Audubon observes, "the woods are best fitted for them, and there the rich- ness of their plumage, their beautiful mode of flight, and even their screams, afford welcome intimation that our darkest forests and most sequestered swamps are not destitute of charms." According to this author, their nest, or rather the place where they ileposit their eggs, is the bottom of the cavities of decayed trees. " Many females," he observes, " de- posit their eggs together," and the number laid by each individual, he believes, is two — a number which seems to prevail throughout the great body of the family. The eggs are round, and of a light green- ish white ; and the young, when excluded, and be- fore they acquire their feathers, are covered with a soft down. The plumage of the first few months is green, but towards autumn they acquire a frontlet of carmine. Upon the ground they are slow and awkward, walking as if incommoded by their tail. When wounded, and attempted to be laid hold of, they turn to bite with open bill, and, if successful, inflict a very severe wound. They are said to de- light in sand or gravelly banks, where they may fre-
CAROLINA ARARA.
85
quently be seen rolling and fluttering about in the dust, at times picking up and swallowing a limited quantity. The lochs and saline springs are also con- stantly frequented by them, salt appearing equally agreeable to them as to pigeons, and various other birds and animals. The bill of the Carolina Arara is very hard and strong, the tip much thicker and rounder than in the Psittacara group ; the tooth, or angular process of the upper mandible, is well and strongly defined ; the colour white. The irides are hazel, the orbital skin whitish. The legs and feet are of a pale flesh red ; the claws dusky. The fore- head, cheeks, and periphthetonic region, are of a vivid orange red, the rest of the head and neck gara- l)Oge yellow ; the shoulder and ridge of the wings yellow, varied with spots of orange red. The up- per plumage is of a fine emerald green, with purple and blue reflections. The greater wing-coverts are deeply margined with greenish-yellow. The under plumage is a fine pale tsiskin or yellowish-green. The greater quills have their outer webs bluish-green, passing into bright yellow at the base. The inner webs are hair brown, slightly tinged with green near their tips. The tail is green, the inner webs of the lateral feathers tinged with brownish-red. The fea- thers of the tibiae are yellow, passing into orange at the joint. In length it averages about 14 inches ; in extent of wings 22 inches.
86 GENUS MACROCERCUS.
The next group we liave to notice is that of the Maccaws, or genus Macrocercus, Viell., here re- stricted to the larger species, with long lanceolate tails, and naked orbits and cheeks. In this group the bill is short but very strong, and higher than long ; the upper mandible greatly arched, with the tip long, and projecting far beyond the under, which is massive, and meets the upper at right angles. The palatine ridge is very distinct, and the inner surface of the projecting tips i-ftughened and file like. The tongue is thick and soft. The wings pretty long and acuminate. The feet strong, and formed for grasping ; the claws falcate, the tarsi upon which they partly rest are short and thick. In disposition they are much less docile than the true Parrots, and can rarely he taught to articulate more than a few words in a harsh discordant tone ; their natural notes are confined to hoarse and piercing screams. They breed in the hollows of trees, laying two eggs, which are said to be incubated alternately by both sexes.
The first species figured is the
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PLATE 5.
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MACKOCERCrS MILITAJllS.
The fTi-eat Greeu Maccaw.
87
THE GREAT GREEN MACCAW.
Macrocercus militaris.
PLATE V.
Sittaee militaris, Wagler in Abhand. ^c, p. 668 — Psittacus
militaris, Auct L'Ara Militaire, et le Grand Ara Mili-
taire, Le Vaillant, 1. c. p. 11, t. 4, et 1. c. p. 15, t. 6. — Great Green Maccaw, Edw. pi. 13.
In this beautiful species, the gi'ound or prevailing colour of the plumage becomes more assimilated to that of the great body of the long- tailed division, than some of its congeners, for, with the exception of the forehead, the region of the eyes, the lower back, wings, and tail, the remainder is of a fine and lively green. Edwards, in his valuable work, " The Gleanings of Natural History," seems to have first figured and described this Maccaw, which, though ignorant of at the time, he rightly conjectured to be an American bird. It is now ascertained to be a native of Mexico and Peru, inhabiting the warmer districts of the Andean Chain, and attaining to an elevation of about 3000 feet. According to Wagler, its habits differ considerably from those of its con- geners, as it does not confine itself to the recesses of
88 THE GREAT GREEN MACCAW.
the forests, or its food to the fruits there produced, but attacks in congregated flocks the fields of maize, and other cultivated grain and fruits. Upon these it frequently commits serious depredations, to such an extent, indeed, as to require tlie constant attention and watching of the inhabitants during the period of ma- turation. When engaged in their predatory excur- sions, a guard is constantly left by the flock in some elevated station, generally the summit of a tree, from whence, should danger be apprehended, an alarm is given by a loud and peculiar cry, which is responded to by the immediate flight of the ^NTiry depredators. They are also said to feed upon the flowers of the Erythincej and some species of Thi- baudice, before the ripening of the grains, but whe- ther this is merely to obtain the nectarious juice, as practised by the Asiatic Lories and Australian Tri- choglossi, or for the thick and fleshy substance of the flower and embryo pod or seed-vessel, does not ap- pear from Wagler s account. During the period of the rains, which commence in October, the great body of these birds migrate to other districts, and do not return till the maize begins to ripen, which takes place in January and February. It is easily tamed, and of a docile disposition, but can rarely be taught to articulate more than a few words. It ap- pears to have been a favourite among the ancient Peruvians, as we are told it was frequently presented to the Incas, by their subjects, as an acceptable gift. In size, it is inferior to several of the Maccaws, its
THE GREAT GREEN MACCAAV. 89
extreme length being about twenty-nine inches. The bill is strong, typical in form, its colour blackish- brown. The orbits and cheeks are naked, and of a flesh colour, with striae of small blackish-brown fea- thers ; the irides are composed of two rings, the outer of a rich yellow, the inner greyish-green. The forehead is of a rich crimson, the chin feathers red- dish-brown, and passing rapidly into the green of the neck. The rest of the head, the neck, lesser wing-coverts, the mantle, and all the under parts of the body, are of a fine and lively green, in some lights shewing tints of azure blue on the back of the neck and head. The lower back and upper tail co- verts, as well as the greater wing-coverts and quills, are of a fine blue. The tail feathers on the upper surface are scarlet, with blue tips, the under surface and that of the wings orange-yellow. The legs and toes are red, tinged with grey. The claws are strong, hooked, and black.
The second illustration of this magnificent group, is the
VOL. VI.
90
BLUE AND YELLOW MACCAW.
Macrocercus ararauna. — Auctorum. PLATE VL
Psittacus maximus cyano-virens, Aldrov. Will — Ara bleu et jaune, Buff. PL Enl. 36. — L'Ara-rauna, Le Vaillant, i. t. 3. — Psittacus ararauna, Shawns Zool. v. viii. p. 391. pi. .54.
This beautiful species is rather inferior in size to the great Scarlet Maccavv, but being less common than that bird, and possessing all the typical characters of the group, we have thought that an accurate fi- gure of the rarer bird would be more acceptable to our readers, than one of a kind better known, al- though the plumage of the latter may boast of greater richness and brilliancy of colour. In length, it mea- sures about 39 inches, the tail alone being about 24. The bill is entirely black, very large and strong. The upper mandible, measuring from the forehead to the tip, three inches and a quarter : it is greatly deflected, and bends immediately from the base; the under mandible is short and massive, rapidly ascend- ing, and describing when closed, a right angle with the upper. The cheeks are white, and nearly naked, with three fine narrow strise of small black plumes
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the tail alone being about. *^ >lafk, very large and strony. raeasurinir from the forehead
.ssive, rap
ALACKOCERCrs ARARAFNA
Blue andYeHowliacca-H"
BLUE AND YELLOW MACCAW. 91
beneath the eyes. The iiides are yellowish- whire. Immediately beneath the under mandible is a broad black fascia, extending upwards to the ears, and en- compassing the greater part of the naked white space. The whole of the upper plumage is of a beautiful rich blue, passing into green upon the forehead, crown, rump, and some of the smaller wing-coverts. The greater quills and tail are of a deeper tint, ap- proaching to violet. The under suifaces of the wings and tail are yellow. The sides of the neck, breast, and inferior parts of the body, are rich saffron-yel- low. The legs and feet blackish-grey, the scales defined by whitish lines. Like all the other mem- bers of the genus, it is a native of tropical America, and is met with in the Brazils, particularly upon the banks of the river Amazons, in Guiana, and Suri- nam, &c. It aflFects the woods, particularly such as occupy swampy grounds, and which abound in a species of palm, upon whose fruit it principally sub- sists. It is said generally to keep in pairs, though occasionally to assemble in large flocks, and when this is the case, their united screams are heard to a great distance. The dimensions and form of their wings, and long cuneiform tail, indicate a powerful and vigorous flight, and accordingly we are informed that in this respect they are inferior to none of the tribe, their flight being often at a high elevation, and accompanied with a variety of aerial evolutions, particularly before alighting, which is always upon the summits of the highest trees. They deposit their
92 BLUE AND YELLOW MACCAW.
eggs, which never exceed two in number, in the hollow trunks of decayed trees, and generally have two broods in the year. Both sexes are reported to sit alternately upon the eggs, and are equally assi- duous in cherishing and conveying food to the young. When taken at an early age, they are easily tamed, but their imitative powers are not equal to those of the Grey Parrot, and it is seldom that they can be taught to articulate clearly, or more than a few words. Their natural notes are very unpleasant to the ear, consisting of loud and piercing screams, in- terrupted with hoarse croaking murmurs. Living specimens of this species are sometimes seen caged in England. A very fine one is completely domes- ticated at Dr Neill's, Canonmills (near Edinburgh), and allowed the freedom of several apartments : when desirous of being noticed, it calls out " Robert," the name of its earliest master, very distinctly ; but it has not acquired more than one other conventional sound. Beautiful examples may be studied in the aviaries of the Zoological Gardens. Our next figure represents another species very nearly related to the Scarlet Maccaw : it is the
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PLATE 7.
MACROCERCXrs ABACANGA.
Red and Blue MaccavK
93
RED AND BLUE MACCAW.
Macrocercus aracanga.
PLATE VII.
Sittace aracanga, Wagler, in Abhand. ^c. p. 672 — Psit-
tacus aracanga, Auct L'Ara canga, Ve Vaill. Hist, des
Per. t. 2 The Red and Blue Maccaw, Edwards^ 4.
t. 158.
This large and splendid species has frequently been confounded with its nearly related congener, the Psittacus macao of authors, from which it may always be distinguished, by the want of the narrow rows of red plumes upon the naked part of the face, and in having the middle wing-coverts of a bright yellow, instead of green. In dimensions it is fully equal to the other species, frequently attaining 39 inches in extreme length, of which the tail measures nearly 24. The bill is large, and very powerful : the upper mandible yellowish-white, except near the angles of the mouth, where it is varied by a dark streak or spot ; the under mandible is black. The cheeks and orbits are covered with a rough pinkish- white skin, without any rows of small feathers ; the rest of the head, the neck, back, scapulars, breast.
94 RED AND BLUE MACCAW.
and abdomen, are vermilion-red. The middle wing- coverts are bright yellow, tipped with bluish-green. The spurious wing, the secondaries, and greater quills, are of a deep azure-blue ; the lower back, rump, upper and under tail-coverts, are pale azure and ultramarine blue. The four intermediate or longest tail-feathers are deep vermilion-red, the next feather on each side is red and blue, the remainder are wholly blue. The under surface of all the tail- feathers is deep red. The irides are primrose-yel- low; the legs and feet are blackish-grey, the scales are dividecl or marked by mealy white lines. It is a species apparently widely distributed throughout the intertropical parts of America, being found in Guiana, Surinam, and parts of Mexico. Its ha- bits resemble those of the Blue and Yellow Maccaw, being found in similar situations, and feeding upon the Palmettoes or Borassi which abound in the over- flowed savannahs of South America. They build in the holes of decayed trees, enlarging them when too narrow, and line the interior with feathers. They hatch, as do most of the tropical species, twice in the year, laying each time two spotted eggs, which are incubated alternately by both sexes. The great size, and gorgeous plumage of this bird, places it among the most imposing of its race ; and in avi- aries, or living collections of the Psittacidce, it forms a prominent and striking feature. It is, however, only in such situations as the Zoological Gardens, that we can admire and contemplate its beauty with
RED AKD BLUE MACCAW. 95
satisfaction and pleasure, its screams, and hoarse dis- cordant tones, rendering it any thing but an agree- able companion when confined within the precincts of a private house. Our figure is from a living bird in the gardens of the Zoological Society.
Immediately following the Maccaws, and nearly related to them by the strength and thickness of the bill, and the naked skin which still occupies the or- bits, and more or less of the face, is a group to which we would restrict the title of Psittacara, Vi- gors, typified by his Psittacara frontata^ but not embracing all the birds which he included in it, se- veral of them having their station among the Araras^ or that group to which the Patagonian species be- longs. The genus Psittacara is distinguished by a large, deep, and massive bill, the upper man- dible with the culmen imperfectly biangulated, the tip drawn suddenly to a fine sharp point, the to- mia sinuated, or imperfectly toothed, the under mandible very large and thick, the tip quadrate, the orbits, and space between the bill and eyes, to a greater or less extent naked. Nostrils round, patent, in the cere at the base of the bill. Wings rather long, acuminate, the three first feathers of nearly equal length, wide at the base, narrow- ing suddenly toward their tips. Tail rather long, and moderately graduated. The passage from the Maccaw to the Parrot division, appears in one point to be effected by the apparent connection that sub*-
96 GENUS PSITTACARA.
sists between the birds of ibis genus and those of genera Tanygnaihus and Triclaria of Wagler, the latter of which, by the nearly even or slightly cu- neated tail, leads to the true or typical Parrots. The subject of the next illustration is the
El c
97
NOBLE PARROT-MACCAW.
Psittacara nobilis.
PLATE VIII.
Psittacara front ata, Vig. in Zool. Journ. v. ii. p. 389 — Sittace nobilis, Wagler, in Abhand. ^-c, p. 661. — Psit- tacus nobilis, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 85. sp. 9 — Psitt. Guia- nensis, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 19. sp. 11. — Arara macro- gnathus, Spix, Av. Bras. i. t. 25. fig. 102.
Instead of the large bare space which occupies the whole of the face and cheeks of the large Mac- caws, the nakedness in this bird is confined to the orbits, and a space between the eyes and the bill, continuous with the cere which covers the base of the latter. The bill itself, though equally massive and powerful in comparison to the bulk of the bird, is dififerently shaped, the tip being suddenly drawn to a very sharp and delicate point. It is a na- tive of Brazil, Paraguay, and other parts of South America, and occurs in great numbers upon the banks of the Amazons. Its food consists of the kernels of the harder fruits, for obtaining which, its powerful bill is admirably adapted. In disposition it is wild, and not easily tamed ; and, though noisy
VOL. VI. I
98 NOBLE PAKUOT MACCAW.
and vociferous in its native woods, appears to pos- sess little or no capability of imitating the sounds of the human voice. Its length is above 12 inches, of which the tail measures about six. Tiie upper man- dible is yellowish- white, the under deep greenish- grey. The cere, orbits, and denuded space, yellow ; the forehead and eyebrow^s are azure-blue, the fea- thers rather rigid, and of open texture ; the crown of the head, the neck, and the whole of the upper and under parts of the body are of a fine lively grass- green. The elbow and ridge of the wings, as well as part of the inferior wing-coverts, are vermilion- red. The wings and tail are green above, the under surface of a dusky wax-yellow. The feet are black- ish-grey, the claws black, strong, and falcate.
From the Maccaw dinsion we now proceed to the subfamily Psittacina, containiDg a numerous as- semblage of species, distinguished by their compa- ratively stout and generally even tail. The larger species of this division answer to M. Kuhl's fourtli section Psittacus, and are usually known among us by the special title of Parrots. These by Wagler, in his Monographia Psittacorum, have since been divided into several groups, and constitute his genera Eclec- tus, Psittacodis, Psittacus, and Pionus. In this subfamily, the bill, though very powerful and strong, is more elongated than in the Maccaws and Cocka- toos, the head is large, and the face, with some few exceptions, covered with feathers. The tail is short, with the end even, or else slightly rounded ; and the wings are generally ample and long. It forms the typical group of the family, and is nearly allied to the Cockatoos, or subfamily Plyctolophina^ by some interesting forms, among which may be mention- ed Nestor hypopolius, Wagler, and by some of its smaller members, to the short-tailed diminutive spe- cies of the Lory division ; while their connection with the Macrocercince is supported by the forms previously adverted to. The species are found dis- tributed in Asia, Africa, and America, and are all inhabitants of tlie torrid zone. Many are gregarious, except during the period of incubation. They breed
100 GENUS PSITTACL'S.
ill the hollows of decayed trees, and most of the species are supposed to lay only two white eggs, which are incuhated alternately by both sexes. In disposition, they are the most docile of the family, and possess the power of imitating the human voice in as great, or perhaps greater perfection, than any of the other divisions.
The first illustration belongs to the genus Psitta- cus, as restricted by Wagler, the characters of which are, — Bill strong, proportionate, the upper mandible with the culmen slightly narrowed, the tip, with its under surface, rough with elevated ridges, strongly toothed or emarginate, under mandible slightly com- pressed, with the cutting edges sinuated. Tongue thick, fleshy, smooth. Cere broad. Nostrils large, orbicular, placed in the cere near the base of the bill. Tail rather short, even at the end. Feet, the tarsi short, strong, and depressed, the two exterior toes long, and nearly equal. Plumage compact, the fea- thers of the neck broad, truncate, and imbricated. With the exception of the Grey Parrot, Psitt. eri/- thacus, Linn., which, although provisionally re- tained in Wagler's genus, it is likely will eventually be separated from it, on account of its geographical distribution, the nudity of its face, and some other minor characters, the rest of the species belong to the tropical regions of America. The ground or prevailing colour is green, varied in different birds, with red, blue, and yellow. They are of a docile disposition, and of great imitative powers, on which
GENUS PSITTACUS. 101
account they are held in high estimation, and fre- quently kept caged. They are nearly related to Wagler's genera Psiitacodis and Eclectus, the latter of which appears to lead to the larger Indian Lories ; but of these genera, and that of Pionus, another group, of which Psittacus menstruics, Auct., is the type, our limits do not permit us to give illustrative figures. The subject of the next Plate is the
102
FESTIVE PARROT.
Psillacus festivus. — Auctorum.
PLATE IX.
Psittacus festivus, Linn — Lath, ^c Wagler, Mon. Psitt.
in Abhand. ^c. p»580. — Le Perroquet Tahua de Cay.
Buff. Fl. Enl. 480 Perroquet Tavoua, Le Vaill. pi. 129.
Festive Parrot, Lath. Syn. i. p. 298. 102.
We have illustrated the American group of Parrots by a figure of the Festive Parrot, which possesses all the typical characteristics of the genus. It is a native of South America, inhabiting Guiana, Cayenne, and the Brazils, particularly the banks of the river Ama- zons, and aflfects the forests, where it procures a con- stant supply of food in the various seeds and kernels of fruits. It is docile, and easily tamed, and, being of an imitative disposition, readily learns to pronounce words and sentences with great clearness and preci- sion. In size, it exceeds the common Amazons Parrot, measuring between 15 and 16 inches in ex- treme length. The bill is of a pale flesh colour, strong, and with the upper mandible distinctly tooth- ed. The nostrils are large and open, placed in the cere at the base of the bill. The narrow frojital
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PLATE 9.
VPSITTACUS FESTIVttS.
Festive PaiTot
FESTIVE PARROT, 103
band and eye-streak are deep red, with a purplish tinge. Above and behind the eyes, the feathers are pale azure-blue. The lower back and rump are deep vermilion-red, the greater quills and seconda- ries have their outer webs of a deep blue, the interior webs being greenish-black. The remainder of the plumage of the upper and under parts of the body is green. The tail is short, being about four inches in length, nearly even at the end, the outmost fea- ther on each side, with its exterior web, margined with blue ; the rest are green, with a small spot of pale red near their bases, except the two interme- diate feathers, which are wholly green. The legs are stout, and of a bluish-grey or leaden colour.
AMAZONS' PARROT,
Psittacus Amazonius Auctoru.'M.
Psittacus Amazonius, Briss, Av. 4. p. 256 Waaler, Mon.
Psitt. in Abhand. ^c. p. 496. and 588 Spix. Av. Bras.
p. 45 — Le Peroquet Amazone, Buff". PI. Enl 547
Aourou Parrot, Shaw's Zool. 8. p. 508. pi. 76.
The true Amazons' Parrot has so frequently been confounded and mixed up with other nearly allied species, that a description of it may not be unac- ceptable to our readers, especially as it is a kind frequently brought to Europe, on account of its col- loquial pott'ers, and known, like others of its con-
104 AMAZONS PARROT.
geners, by the common appellation of Green PaiTOt. In dimensions it is inferior to the Festive Parrot, its length seldom exceeding twelve inches : the bill is less powei-ful, but similar in form, its colour orange- yellow, with a whitish tip. The cheeks, chin, and angles at the base of the bill are yellow ; the fore- head and eye-streak violet-purple, the bases of the feathers being yellow : the occiput and hind-neck are green, each feather edged with black. The rest of the upper and under plumage is of a fine green. The four lateral tail-feathers nearest the two middle ones have their outer webs green, verging to yel- low at the base and apex ; the inner webs yellow, witli a large central red spot, intersected by a trans- verse green one : the fifth and sixth have the basal half of the outer webs green, the remainder yellow ; the inner webs with their bases and tips yellow, the middle part being green : the next is distinguished by a pale red spot ; and the remainder have their bases green, which passes into yellow near the tips. The margin of the carpus or lower ridge of the wing is frequently of an orange-red. The first pri- mary quill is black above : beneath, the inner web ex- hibits at the base a rich tinge of verdigris-green, the second, third, and fourth, have their exterior webs green, with azure reflections ; the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth, are green from the base to the middle, the other part being deep azure blue, the inner webs black ; the ninth to the twelfth greenish near the base, passing forwards into brownish-red, which.
AMAZONS PARROT. 105
near the ends of the feathers, becomes of a deep blue : the under surface of all the quills is of a cop- per or verdigi"is-gi'een colour. This bird inhabits South America, being common in Guiana and Bra- zil, particularly near the banks of the river Amazons. It feeds upon fruits, particularly that of the Rhizo- phora Mangle, in the decayed trunks of which trees it also deposits its eggs. It is also very destructive to the orange plantations. It is easily tamed, and learns to repeat with facility a number of words and short sentences. When alarmed or excited, it erects the nuchal feathers.
VOL. VI.
106
ASH-COLOUliED OR GREY PARROT.
Psittacus erythacus — Linn^us.
PLATE X.
Psittacus erythacus, Linn. Syst. Nat. et Auct Psittacus
Guianensis cinereus, Bris. t. pi. 310. No. 49 Peroquet
cendre deGuinee, Bixff. PL Enl. 311. — Ash-coloured Par- rot, Shaw's Zool. 8. pi. 486.
Many of our readers will recognise an old and amusing acquaintance in the characteristic figure of this well-known species, not, indeed, conspicuous for that brilliancy and variety of plumage which distin- guishes the great majority of the tribe, but remark- able for its docility and mimicry, the faculty it pos- sesses of imitating the human voice, as well as any other sound, its never-ceasing gaiTulity. and its clear and distinct articulation. In most of these particu- lars, it surpasses the rest of its congeners-, on which account it has always been held in high estimation by the bird-fancier and lover of living curiosities. This we learn from the large sums that have at all times been offered and given for highly-gifted or well taught individuals. Even as early as A. D. 1500, we read of a Parrot at Rome, supposed to be of this species, for which 100 gold pieces were given
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able for its docilif
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it ot these particu-
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: . ligh estimation
I iovti' of ii%Mag curiosities.
PSlTTACt:S EEYTHACrS.
AsTi- Coloured or Grey Parrot.
ASH-COLOURED OR GREY PARROT. 107
by a Cardinal. Its merits, however, appear to have been of a kind well calculated at that period to create an unusual degree of astonishment, and a feeling of the marvellous, as it had learned to repeat with clearness, and without hesitation, the whole of the Apostles' creed. Willughby, also, in his old and excellent work on Ornithology, mentions the high prices brought by Parrots of various species in Holland, and other parts of the Continent. To enu- merate the various anecdotes related of this bird, would not only occupy more space than the nature of our work will allow, but would, in a great mea- sure, be only repeating what has already so frequent- ly been told in the works and compilations of other writers. We shall only observe, that, in many of the marvellous stories recorded of Parrots, particu- larly all such as relate to answers seemingly appro- priate and consequent to questions put to them, and which some authors would almost seem to imply were dictated by intelligence, or that the birds really understood the import of what was asked, are mere- ly the result, under accidental and fortunate circum- stances, of what had previously been taught them by frequent repetition, to articulate by rote.
The imitative propensity of the Parrot, amusing as it in general may be, is, however, sometimes to be guarded against, and productive of untoward ac- cidents, as the following instance related to us will shew. A Parrot which was kept upon a quay in a sea-port town, had learned the term, with its appro-
lOH ASH-COLOURED OH GREY PARROT.
priate enunciation, used by carters in backing, that is, making the horse, by a retrograde motion, place the cart or waggon in the most convenient station for loading or unloading. This term the bird one day made use of, when a cart and horse had impru- dently been left unattended for a short time, and the horse, obeying the mandate of the bird, continued to keep moving backwards, till both were precipi- tated over the quay, and the unfortunate animal was drowned.
The Grey Parrot is a native of western Africa, from whence it appears to have been imported to a very early period ; but common and well known as it is in a state of captivity, its peculiar habits and economy in a state of nature are still but little and imperfectly known. Like most of its kind, it is said to breed in the hollows of decayed trees ; and the instinctive propensity for such situations does not appear to desert it even in a state of captivity ; for Buffon mentions a pair in France, that, for five or six years successively, produced and brought up their young, and that the place they selected for this purpose was a cask partly filled with saw-dust. Its eggs are stated to be generally four in number, their colour white, and in size equal to those of a pigeon. In its native state, the food of the Parrot consists of the kernels of various fruits, and the seeds of other vegetables ; but when domesticated, or kept caged, its principal diet is generally bread and milk, varied with nuts, almonds, &c., and even pieces of dressed
ASH-COLOURED OR GREY PARROT. 109
meat. When feeding, it often holds its food clasped in the foot, and, before swallowing, masticates or re- duces it to small pieces by its powerful bill and pa- latial cutters. This member, so unlike that of other frugivorous birds, is admirably calculated for the principal offices it has to perform, viz. breaking the shells of the hardest fruits and seeds, and as a strong and powerful organ of prehension and sup- port ; for few of our readers but must have observed that the bill is always first used, and chiefly depend- ed upon when a Parrot is caged, in climbing or moving from one position to another. The longe- vity of the feathered race, we believe, in general far exceeds what is commonly supposed, at least if we may judge from the age attained by various birds, even when subjected to captivity and confinement. Thus, we have instances of eagles living for half a century : the same of ravens, geese, and other large birds, as well as among the smaller kinds usually kept caged. The Parrot appears to yield to none of these, and several instances are upon record of their having reached the remarkable age of sixty or seventy years. Among these, none is more interesting than that of an individual mentioned by M. Le Vaillant, which had lived in a state of domesticity for no less than ninety- three years. At the time that eminent naturalist saw it, it was in a state of entire decrepitude, and in a kind of lethargic condition, its sight and memory being both gone, and was fed at intervals with bis- cuit soaked in Madeira wine. In the time of its
no ASH-COLOURED OR GREY PAROT.
youth and vigour it had been distinguished for its colloquial powers, and distinct enunciation, and was of so docile and obedient a disposition, as to fetch its master's slippers when required, as well as to call the servants, &c. At the age of sixty, its memory began to fail, and, instead of acquiring any new phrase, it began to lose those it had before attained, and to intermix, in a discordant manner, the words of its former lan- guage. It moulted regularly every year till the age of sixty-five, when this process grew irregular, and the tail became yellow, after which, no farther change of plumage took place. It is subject to variety, as shewn in the figure of Edwards, where the ground colour is mixed with red. In size it measures about 12 inches in length. The bill is black, strong, and much hooked, and the orbits, and space between them and the eyes, covered with a naked and white skin. The whole of the plumage, with the exception of the tail, which is of a bright deep scarlet, is of an ash- grey colour, deepest upon the back, and the feathers finely relieved and margined with paler grey. The irides are of a pale yellowish-white, the feet and toes grey, tinged with flesh-red.
The limited number of engravings not admitting of a figure illustrative of every group, we can only remedy the deficiency by a description of such spe- cies as are remarkable, or typical of their respective genera. The Short and Even-tailed Parrots, as pre- viously observed, have been divided by Wagler into
ASH-COLOURED OR GREY PARROT. Ill
several generic heads ; but whether all of these will stand the test of such a separation, or are only to be regarded as slightly aberrant forms of the genus Psittacus, must depend upon a strict analysis of all the species. We shall, however, here consider them as forming distinct groups, detailing the principal characters of each as given by that eminent natural- ist. The first is that of Eclectus, represented by the Eclectiis Linncei, Wagler, and Ec. grandis, Wagler (the Psittacus grandis of Latham, &c.), which dif- fer from his restricted genus Psittacus in the form of the bill, the under mandible being narrower, the cere at the base scarcely visible, and the nostrils placed farther back, and hidden by the feathers of the brow. The texture of the plumage upon the head and neck is also different, being long and silky. He considers them to represent the parrots of Ame- rica, Africa, and Asia, and also to bring them nearer in connexion with the larger lories. The following is a description of the
112
GRAND ELECTUS.
Electus grandis. — Wagi-er.
Electus grandis, JVagler, Mon. Psitt. in Ahhand. &c. pp. 495, 47"2. — Psittacus grandis, KuliVs Consp. p. 38, No. 50. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 116, sp. 112, var. B — Psittacus jan- thinus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 90, sp. 24 — Peroquet grand Lori, (male), Le Vaillant, Tab. 12G. — Lori dela nouvelle Guinee, Buff. PI. Enl 683 — Grand Lory, Lath. Syn. i. p. 275, sp. 81 ; Shaiv''s Zool. viii. p. 533, pi. 80.
This elegant species, which exceeds the Amazons Parrot in size, is a native of the Moluccas and New Guinea. In appearance, and the colour of its plu- mage, it approaches the larger lories, a resemblance also indicated by the name given to it by Latham and others. The bill is black, with the culmen of the upper mandible rounded ; the nostrils placed at the base of the bill, and concealed from view ; the eyes yellow, and the ophthalmic region entirely cloth- ed with feathers. The head and upper neck are of a rich crimson red ; the lower neck, breast, belly, and upper part of the thighs, are lilac purple ; the man- tle, back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and upper tail- coverts, rich scarlet, with a purplish tinge. The flexure of the wings, and outer webs of the quills, are azure blue ; the vent and apical fascia of the tail yellow.
The next group indicated by Wagler is that of PsittacodiSf the principal character of distinction
LE vallant's pionus. 113
consisting in the want of the tooth or angular pro- cess on the upper mandible. The members belong- ing to it are also natives of Asia and Australasia, and the Psitt. magnus, Psitt- Paraguay Psitt. Sumatra- nus, and Psitt. tarabe, Auct., belong to it. A third gi-oup is that of Pionus, which embraces a variety of species belonging to Asia, Africa, and America, and which, judging from the difference of geographi- cal distribution, it is likely may require still further division. In the form of the tongue and feet, it agrees with the genus Psittacus proper, but the tail is comparatively shorter, the wings longer, and, when closed, in many species extending beyond the tip of the tail. The head is large, and the body short and thick. An example of this group is
LE VAILLANT'S PIONUS.
Pionus Le Vdillantii Wagler.
Pionus Le Vaillantii, Wagler^ Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. &c. pp. 499, 614 — Psittacus robustus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 94. —Psittacus Le Vaillantii, Lath. Sup.; Kuhl^ Consp. Psitt. p. 83 — Psittacus infuscatus,5'/me^'5 Zoo/, viii. p. 523. — Peroquet a franges souci, Ze Vaill. Tab. 130 et 131.— Robust Parrot, Lath. Syn. i. pp. 296, 100 Damask Par- rot, Shaw''s Zool. viii. 523.
This is an African species, inhabiting, at a certain period, the eastern parts of that continent, as high
VOL. VI. L
114 LE VAILLANTS PIONUS. ^
as latitude 32^. It was first discovered and figured by Le Vaillant, who informs us, that it only resides in the woods, in the latitude above mentioned, du- ring the season of reproduction, quitting them for warmer districts on the approach of the rainy season, after it has reared its young ; and that, during these migratory movements, the flocks fly so high as to be beyond the reach of sight, though their screams or call- notes can still be heard. As usual in this family, the hollow of a tree is the receptacle for the eggs, which are four in number, in size equal to those of a pigeon, and which are incubated alternately by both sexes. The young, when first hatched, are naked, but soon become covered with greyish down. Their plumage is not perfected till after an interval of six weeks, and they remain a considerable time longer in the nest, during which they are fed by the parents, who disgorge in the manner of pigeons. In an interesting detail of their habits, he observes that they are remarkably fond of bathing, and are ob- served to fly every day, and at the same hour, to the water for this purpose. The hours of feeding are also very regular, and the whole day is distributed by rule — a fact we have observed to prevail among other birds. At dawn of day, the whole flight of each district assembles, and alights with much noise on one or more dead trees, according to the size of the flock, and there, displaying their wings to the first rays of the sun, recal to mind the idea of some ancient race, of simple manners, assembled on some
LE VAILLANT's PIONUS. 115
hill to chaunt a hymn in honour of the God of Day. The reason, however, of this assembly of the parrots, is to warm and dry their plumage, moistened and chilled by the dews of night, which in these regions is often cold, and always damp. When once warmed, and their plumage dry, they arise in small flocks, and fly around in quest of their favourite fruit, a kind of cherry, the stone of which they break, in or- der to obtain the kernel. This their morning's meal continues till about 10 or 11 o'clock, at which time all the separate flocks fly to the water to bathe. When the heat of day commences, they again seek the deep recesses of the woods, in order to enjoy the refreshment of the shade ; and at this time they keep a silence so profound, that not a sound shall be heard by a person sitting beneath a tree, though the branches above be crowded with legions of parrots ; but on the report of a gun, the whole flock fly off with the rapidity of lightning, with a confused mixture of the most discordant screams.
When this their time of rest is elapsed, they again disperse, in order to obtain their second or evening meal ; after which, all the flocks of the whole district reassemble with much noise and animation, and this is the signal for their second visit to the water, which is often far distant, as only the purest will please them. They are then seen confusedly and playfully rolling over each other on the margins of the pool, at times dipping their heads and wings into the wa- ter, in such a manner as to scatter it all over their
116 LE vaillant's pionus.
plumage, and exhibiting a most entertaining spec- tacle to tlie observer. This ceremonial being finished, they revisit the trees on which they assembled at sunrise, where they sit for some time engaged in adjusting and pruning their feathers. This finished, they fly off in pairs, each pair retiring to its peculiar roost, where they rest till morning.
The bill is large, the culmen biangulate, the to- mise sinuated, but not distinctly toothed ; its colour whitish. The head, neck, and breast are of an olive green colour, deepest upon the forehead and crown ; the lores or space between the bill and eyes black. The mantle, scapulars, and wing- coverts are brown- ish-black, the feathers margined with green. The lower back, upper tail-coverts, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, emerald green. The ridge of the wings and thighs are bright reddish-orange. The quills and tail brownish-black, slightly tinged with green. Legs and toes grey.
In addition to Wagler'si genera Psittacodis, Eclec- his, and Pionus, which contain the other larger spe- cies of the short. even-tailed Parrots, we are inclined to place in this subfamily several small species, which, in Kuhl's Conspectus, form a portion of his section Psittacula, and are also included in Wagler's more restricted genus of the same name. Both of these groups are, however, so constituted, as to embrace
LE vaillant's pionus. 117
birds of dissimilar form and habits, and widely se- parated in regard to their geographical distribution. In some, as those inhabiting the islands of the Pa- cific, the bill is slender and weak, as in the Lories : 'the tongue is also supposed to be furnished with de- licate papillae. These we have little hesitation in placing in that subfamily. Others have the bill powerful and thick, with the upper mandible strong- ly toothed ; the wings long, and the tail short, and nearly even. To this group, the Psittacus Smnde- rianus of Kuhl, and the Psittacus Malaccensis, Lath., appear to belong. For the present, the title of Aga- pornis is given to them, though it is not unlikely that a farther division may be required, when their habits and economy are better known. The only illustration we can give of these diminutive Parrots is that of
118
SWINDERN'S LOVE-BIRD.
Agapornis Swinderianus.
PLATE XL
Psittacus Swinderianus, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nov. Acl., &c.,p. 104, pi. 2.— Psittacula Swinderiana, Wagler, Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. &c., p. 621.
This beautiful little species is a native of South- ern Africa, and was first described and figured by Kuhl, in his " Conspectus Psittacorum," under the title of Psittacus Swinderianus ; it was included in that section named by him Psittacula, in which he placed the whole of the smaller species with short and even or slightly rounded tails — an artificial divi- sion, and established without due regard to the struc- ture, habits, or distribution of the species. Little is known respecting its natural history, being a bird of rare occurrence, and even now only seen in a few collections. In the form and strength of its bill, it (shews an affinity to the larger parrots, which is still more strongly indicated in another species, the Psit- tacus Malaccensis of Latham. In size it is among the smallest of its race, its extreme length being about six inches. The bill i» black, strong, with the
llW::.
'^
Little
S-wmderas Love Bird
swindern's love-bird. 119
upper mandible emarginate. The head and nape are of a beautiful lively green, bounded by a black nuchal-collar ; the neck and breast are yellowish- green ; the mantle and wings are green ; the lower back and upper tail coverts are deep azure blue. The tail, which is short and nearly even, has the two intermediate feathers wholly green ; the rest on each side have their basal half vermilion-red, bounded by a bar of black, the tips being green. The legs and toes are greyish-black. The wings are long, and, when closed, reach to the end of the tail.
In this subfamily we have also placed another very interesting form, from Australia ; it is repre- sented by the Psittacus Nestor of Latham, and now forms the type of Wagler's genus Nestor. This bird is supposed to form a connecting link between the Parrots and Cockatoos, though it must be con- fessed that more correct information respecting its history and habits is necessary, before its true situa- tion and dii'ect affinities can be satisfactorily ascer- tained. The characters of the genus Nestor of Wag- ler are : — Bill elongate, the upper mandible com- pressed, hooked; the tomia sinuated, but not dis- tinctly toothed ; the tip projecting, with its under surface sulcated and deeply excavated for the recep- tion of the tip of the under mandible ; under man- dible narrow, compressed, slightly convex, or form- ing, when closed, an obtuse angle with the upper ;
120 GENUS NESTOR.
wings rather long, ample ; tail of moderate length, and even at the end, the tips of the shafts bare, and slightly projecting beyond the feathered part. The following plate represents the
Ik
ii
i
PLATE 12.
NESTOR U\r()POLirs
Souttieru Nestor.
121
SOUTHERN NESTOR.
Nestor hypopolius Wagler.
PLATE XII.
Nestor hypopolius, Wag. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand- &c., p. 50."j and 696 — Psittacus nestor, Lath. Ind. Orn. 1, p. 110
sp. 85 ; Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nov. Act. &c., p. 86
Psitt. Australis, Shaw, Mus. Lever, p. 87 Southern
Brown Parrot, Lath. Syn. 1, p. 264, 70.
This curious and remarkable-looking bird, which, in some respects, appears to approach the Cockatoos, particularly the black species, or Geringores, is a native of New Zealand. Of its natural history we have no particulars in the descriptions given by La- tham, Wagler, &c., these being merely confined to the form of the parts and the colour of the plumage. Its differently-shaped bill, which, in addition to a greater elongation than that of the other Parrots, possesses other peculiarities of structure, and the de- nuded tips of the shafts of the tail-feathers seem, however, to indicate an economy in some respects dissimilar to that of the other groups with which it is for the present associated. The bill, which is
VOL. VI. M
122 SOUTHERN NESTOR.
large, is of a grey colour, with the tip darker. The forehead and crown are greyish-white, slightly tinged with green; the face and ear-coverts are yellow, tinged near the base of the bill with red. The sides of the neck, breast, and abdomen are all dull red ; the feathers margined with oil-green. The back and wings are of a brownish oil-green. The rump and vent are deep red. The tail is brownish-green. The legs and feet are grey, tinged with brown.
GENUS PLYCTOLOPHUS. 123
The next primary division is that of the Cocka- toos, or subfamily Plyctolophina, Vigors, represent- ing the Rasorial Order, in the circle of the Psittacidse. It contains, besides the true Cockatoos, distinguished by their white or light coloured plumage, the vari- ous black or dark coloured birds belonging to the genus Calyptorynchus, Vigors, which we here desig- nate Geringores, a name given to some of the species by the natives of New Holland, in which interesting country they are chiefly met with. The birds of this division are among the largest of the Parrot tribe, and most of them, in a greater or less degree, are crested. The bill in the Geringore group, though short, and nearly concealed by the projecting fea- thers of the face, is remarkable for its strength and depth at the base. In addition to seeds, they are said to feed upon the roots of bulbous plants. In disposition, the birds of this subfamily are generally wilder and less tractable than many of the other groups of the Psittacidse. They breed in the holes of decayed trees, and their eggs are seldom more than two in number. The first group we have to notice is that of the genus Plijctolophus, Vieillot, of which the characters are : — Bill deep at the base, greatly arched and strong, the upper mandible forming nearly the fourth part of a circle, the tip
124 GENUS PLYCTOLOPHUS.
narrowed and acute, overhanging the lower mandi- ble ; the tomia or cutting edges sinuated or toothed ; under mandible narrower than the upper ; the tongue thick, fleshy, and smooth ; nostrils lateral, in the cere at the base of the bill ; head crested, the crest com- posed of two rows of acuminate feathers, the tip di- rected forwards, and which can be erected or de- pressed at will ; cheeks plumed ; tail rather short, even ; plumage compact, the tips of the feathers rounded, truncate ; feet robust ; tarsi short and re- ticulated.
The Cockatoos, so called from the usual call-note of the species, form a well marked genus, readily- distinguished from the other groups of the Psittaci- dae by their light and uniform colour, which is white, or white tinged more or less, according to the species, with sulphur-yellow or rose-red, by their peculiar shaped crest, and by their short and even tail. The massive and powerful bill, as well as the robust scan- sorial feet of this section, evidently point to the si- tuation they hold in the family ; and, with the near- ly allied genus Calyptorynchus and some other forms which sustain the connexion with more distant groups, they are considered as representing the Rasorial group of the family. They are natives of Australia and the Indian Isles, where they inhabit the woods and forests of these luxuriant climes. They feed upon the seeds of various trees and plants, being able, with their powerful bill, to break the stones of the hardest fruits. Their nidification is similar to
GENUS PLYCTOLOPHUS. 125
that of the great body of the Psittacidae, the holes of decayed trees being the receptacle for the eggs and young. They are easily tamed when taken at an early age, but do not possess the imitative powers of the true Parrots, seldom being able to acquire more than two or three words besides their own pe- culiar note or cry of cockatoo. The first we have to notice is the
126
TRICOLOUR-CRESTED COCKATOO.
Plyctolophus Leadbeateri — Vigors.
PLATE XIII.
Plyctolophus Leadbeateri, Vigors^ Philos. Mag. 1831 p. oo. Lear'' s Parrots. — Cacatua Leadbeateri, Wag. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. 692, sp. 3.
Distinguished by its tiicoloured crest of scarlet, yellow, and white, composed, like that of the other Cockatoos, of long acuminate feathers, with the tips directed forwards, and which can be erected and ex- panded like a fan, or depressed at the pleasure of the bird. It is a native of Australia, and was first made known and described from a specimen which came into the possession of Mr Leadbeater, well known to ornithologists, and whose name Mr Vigors has selected for its specific title. In size it fully equals, or perhaps a little exceeds, the lesser Sulphur- crested Cockatoo. The bill is of a pale greyish- white ; the upper mandible strongly sinuated and toothed ; the irides of a deep brown ; the naked or- bits whitish. The feathers at the immediate base of the bill are crimson, forming a narrow band or fillet ; those of the forehead are white, tinged with red.
JIM
imk.
idi
ilHl
itmi-
PLATE 13.
PLYCTOLOPHUS LEADBEATERI.
Tiacoloia-- crested Cockatoo.
TRICOLOUR-CRESTED COCKATOO. 127
The feathers forming the proper crest are long and acuminate, the tips bending forwards, their basal half crimson, divided by a bar of rich yellow, the re- mainder pure white. The whole of the body is white, tinged deeply with crimson upon the neck, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts. The under surface of the wings is rich crimson-red. Its legs and toes are deep grey, the scales distinctly marked by lighter lines. Of its peculiar habits and economy we are unable to give any detailed account, which we greatly regret, as it is the knowledge of these in- teresting particulars, which point to the natural station of each individual, and mark the minute difl*erences between nearly allied species, that give a zest to the study, and reward the naturalist for the drier and more technical parts of zoological science. Another Australian species is the Helmeted Cocka- too, Plyctolophus galeritus, enumerated by Mr Vigors and Dr Horsfield in their description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnsean Society ; and as its habits are presumed to resemble in many respects those of the other species, we quote their observations, [as extracted from M. Caley's Notes. " This bird is called by the natives Car-away and Cur-iang. I have often met with it in large flocks at the influx of the Grose and the Hawkes- bury Rivers, below Mulgo'ey on the former river, and in the long meadow near the Nepean River. They are shy, and not easily approached. The flesh of the young ones is accounted good eating. I have
128 TRICOLOUR-CRESTED COCKATOO.
heard from the natives that it makes its nest in the rotten limbs of trees, of nothing more than the vege- table mould formed by the decayed parts of the bough ; that it has no more than tv^o young ones at a time ; and that the eggs are white, without spots. The natives first find where the nests are, by the bird making cotora in an adjoining tree, which lies in conspicuous heaps on the grouml. Cotora is the bark stripped off the smaller branches, and cut into small pieces. When the young ones are nearly fledged, the old birds cut a quantity of small branches from the adjoining trees, but never from that in which the nest is situated. They are sometimes found to enter the hollow limb as far as two yards. The nests ai-e generally found in a black-butted gum-tree, and also in Coroybo, Cajim-bora, and Yarrovoarry trees (species of Eucalyptus)." Our next figure re- presents the
"v^xW
PLYCTOLOPHUS SUI.PHURETJS.
Lesser sitlplLur creslr-d Cockatoo,
129
LESSER SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO.
Plyctolophus sulphureus — Vieillot.
PLATE XIV.
Plyctolophus sulphureus, Lear''s Parrots. — Psittacus sul- phureus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 109, sp. 81 ; Shaw's ZooL vol. viii. p. 480, pi. 73 — Cacatua sulphurea, Wagler, Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. <|-c. p. QQi)., sp. 7 — Lesser White Cockatoo, with yellow crest, Edwards, 7, t. 317.
This species we frequently see in confinement ; for though rarely able to articulate more than a few words, its handsome appearance, docile disposition, and amusing habits, render it a great favourite with those who delight in feathered pets. It is kind and affectionate to those it is accustomed to see, and who feed and take care of it ; but suspicious of strangers, whose caresses it rarely admits of with impunity. When alarmed or irritated, it erects the crest to the fullest extent, making a peculiar noise ; at other times it is kept depressed, and hanging over the nape of the neck.
The general plumage of the body is white, slight- ly tinted upon the breast, sides, and inner wing- co- verts with pale sulphur yellow. The crest, in form
VOL. VI. N
130 LESSER SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO.
like that of the other species, and auricular spot, are fine sulphur yellow. The legs and toes are grey; the irides red. It is a native of the Moluccas, and other Indian islands ; but of its natural habits we liave again to regret deficiency of information. In captivity, the female sometimes produces eggs, and we now have specimens by us which were laid by one at rather peculiar periods, viz. the 21st June, 21st of September, and 21st of December ; but whe- ther this resulted from the peculiar economy of the bird, as acted upon by the seasons, or was the effect of the confinement, we are unable to determine.
131
In addition to the species described, the following belongtothis present genus, viz. Plyctolophus Philip- finarum, Red-crested Cockatoo, a native of the Phi- lippine Islands ; Plyct. Moluccensis, Wag., the Great red-crested Cockatoo, which is found in the Mo- luccas, Sumatra, &c. ; Plyct. cristata, Wag., also a native of the Moluccas, and the Plyct. rosei-capil- lus, Vieill. (Psittacus Eos. of Kuhl), which, how- ever, departs from the type in the form and struc- ture of the crest, approaching in this respect nearer to Wagler's genus Licmetis, which is represented by the Psittacus nasicus of Temminck, described in the 13th volume of the Transactions of the LinnsRan Society, and in the "Planches Coloriees," plate 351.
Nearly allied to the Cockatoos, and included in that genus by many authors, is the Red-crowned Parrot (Psittacus galeatus of Latham, Kuhl, &c.) It forms the type of W^agler's genus Corydon, and, according to the views of that author, forms the con- necting medium between the Cockatoos and the ge- nus Calyptorynchus of Vigors and Horsfield, upon which we are about to enter, and for which group we propose to give the title of Geringore, taken from the name applied to one of the finest and largest species by the natives of Australia. The characters of the genus Calyptorynchus are : — Bill thick, very strong, much higher than long, wide at the base, compressed towards the culmen, greatly arch-
1 32 GENUS CALYPTORYNCHUS.
ed, and describing in its profile nearly a semicircle; the tip not much elongated, and bending inwards ; under mandible massive, dilated, wider than the upper, toothed, and deeply emarginate in front, nearly concealed by the feathers of the cheeks ; or- bits and lores naked ; tongue simple, smooth ; nos- trils large, round, lateral, placed behind the corneous base of the bill ; wings ample, rounded, the second, third, fourth, and fifth quills the longest, and nearly equal, their exterior webs emarginate towards the middle ; tail of mean length, broad, slightly round- ed ; feet and toes rather weak, the tarsi short. The width and peculiar form of the lower mandible, and the shortness of the whole bill, as compared with its tlepth at the base, as well as its semilunar profile, are characters alone of sufficient importance to separate the members of this group from the true Cockatoos. In addition, the crest which exists is of a different form ; the tail is more elongate l and rounded, and the ground or prevailing colour of the species, instead of being light, is always dark, varying from black to blackish-grey and blackish-green. So far as our li- mited acquaintance with their habits extends, they appear to be birds of a wilder and fiercer disposition than the generality of the Psittacidse, and less gre- garious than the conterminous genera. They are said to feed greatly upon bulbous roots, as well as on fruits and seeds ; and the denuded tip of the ra- chis of the tail-feathers indicates something peculiar, and with which we are yet unacquainted, in their
GENUS CALYPTORYNCHUS. 133
economy. The holes of decayed trees are the re- ceptacles for their eggs, which are said rarely to ex- ceed two or three in number. They are natives of Australia, to which the group appears to be confined. The subject selected to illustrate the genus is the
134
STELLATED GERINGORE.
Calyptorynchus stellatus — Wagler.
PLATE XV.
Calj^ptorynchus stellatus, Wagler, Mono. Psitt. in Abhand. 4"c., p. 685, sp. 3 — Banksian Cockatoo, Lath. St/n. Sup. ii, var. ii. p. 92.
This species, which appears to bear a near affi- nity to the Calyptorynchus Solandri of Vigors and Horsf. (Psitiacus Solandri^ Temm.), and with which it seems to have been confounded, is described as a distinct species by Wagler, in his monograph of the family. The specific characters, as contrasted with those of the Solanders Gerinp-ore, consist in the whiter colour of the bill, the greater proportion of yellow upon the head and cheeks, and the spots of that colour upon the lesser vomg-coverts, with some deviation in the colour and markings of the lateral tail-feathers. It is also somewhat inferior in size ; in other respects the resemblance is remarkably close ; but as specific distinction is well known to exist in other instances where the characters are not more prominently marked, we are justified in considering
Aviiich
fill)
Millie
t
■ ■UK I .
IfltliU
31-'
4
^T proportion of :id the spots ol r/.v, with som-' , of the lateiJ^i erior in si/^ narkablv
PLATE 15.
zzars Xc.
CALYPTOKYNCHUS STELLAXrS.
Stellated CTeriiieore.
STELLATED GERINGORE. 135
it as a separate specie?, and it ought to be retained as such, unless extended observation and well authen- ticated facts prove it a mere variety, or some parti- cular state of plumage, of another species, arising from age or sex. In it the typical form of the bill is prominently marked, the outline or perspective contour forming nearly a semicircle, the depth at the base, as may be seen in the figure, is very great, and considerably exceeding the length, measured from the rictus or gape to the tip. The under mandible is wider than the upper, and toothed, with the front deeply emarginate. The upper is thick at the base, compressed or cestiform towards the culmen, the tip bending inwards, and not projecting far beyond the under mandible. Its colour is greyish-white. The forehead is scarcely crested, but the feathers upon the vertex are a little elongated. The mass of the plumage is of a greenish-black, deepest upon the back and wings, where it assumes a purplish tinge. The cheeks are yellow, with some markings of the same colour on the sides of the head, and the lesser wing-coverts are speckled with paler yellow. The tail is of mean length, the two middle feathers en- tirely black, the lateral with their bases and tips black, the intermediate space being vermilion, with from five to seven narrow bars of black, the interior webs are margined with yellow. The shafts of the tail feathers project in the form of a bristle beyond the barbules, which appear worn down by attrition. It is a native of Australia, but unfortunately little at-
136 GENUS MICROGLOSSUS.
tentlon has hitherto been paid to the natural habits of these curious birds. They are said to feed upon bulbous roots, as well as other fruits, or rather the seeds of fruits. They are seldom seen in flocks of any magnitude, but keep more in family parties. In disposition they are wild and fierce, and do not ex- hibit that docility and aptness for imitation so con- spicuous in other members of the family.
The subject of our next illustration, though bear- ing in many respects a strong resemblance to the preceding genus, is distinguished from it by the pe- culiar form of its tongue, which is tubular and ex- tensile, and by the form and contour of its bill. The upper mandible is of gi'eat size, and considerably im- pressed, the tomia or cutting edges being bidentate or doubly sinuated. The under mandible is small in proportion, with a single emargination. The or- bits and cheeks are naked, and the head is adorned with a long crest, generally pendent, but which can be erected, and is composed of long narrow acuminate feathers. The legs are naked a little way above the tarsal joint, the tarsi themselves are short. The tail is of mean length and even. It constitutes the type of Geoffroy's genus Microglossus, which is retained by Wagler in his Monographia Psiitacorum. In Kuhl's Conspectus, it is the representative of his sec- tion Probosciger, and he considers it as a form in- termediate between the Maccaws and Cockatoo, but our present ignorance of the natural habits of this
GENUS MICROGLOSSUS. 137
singular bird, renders it difficult to trace its true af- finities, -and we even feel doubtful whether the station now assigned it, is that to which it will be entitled upon a further investigation and more correct know- ledge of its natural history. We propose for it the name of the
VOL. VI.
If
1
\
:^^
»
138
GOLIAH ARATOO.
Microglossua aterrimus. — Waglek.
PLATE XVI.
Microglossus aterrimus, Wagler^ Mon. PsUt. in Ahhand.^ ^c, p. 682, sp. 1 , Vieill. Gal. des Ois, tab. 50 — Psittacus gigas. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 107, sp. 75 — Psitt. aterrimus, Gmel. i. p. 330 ; Kuhl, Consp. p. 93, sp. 165 — Psitt. Go- liah, KuhVs'Co7isp. Psitt. in Nov. Act.., ^c, p. 92, sp. 166. — Great Black Cockatoo, Edwards., pi. 316 — Black Coc- katoo, Shaw, viii. 274, p. 71.
In size it is one of the largest of the known Psit- ticidse, being equal, if not superior to the Red and Yellow Maccaw. The first description we have of it is that of Edwards, though he mentions that a pre- vious figure, appaiently of the same species, had ap- peared in a small book of prints of birds, drawn from the life, and published by S. Vander Meulen at Am- sterdam in 1707. Long, however, as it appears to have been noticed, we are still ignorant of the essen- tial parts of its history, viz. its habits and peculiar economy, which the unusual forni of the tongue and other modifications of character would intimate to be widely different from those of the genus last de- scribed. It is a native of Papua, Waigeoa, New Guinea, and other eastern Australian islands.
1 -
:fi||
<]rawnfro fitulen at Ar as it apppi.Ts
ia^norant of tb(
':'!() intim:-;
^,
I
PLATE 10.
MICROGLOSSrS ATERRIMTS.
OolialiAi-atoo.
GOLIAH ARATOO. 139
The bill, as represented in the figure, is very large, with the tip long and very acute, projecting far be- yond the under, which is small and weak in compa- rison. The orbits and cheeks are covered with a naked red wrinkled skin, the crest is of a greyish colour, long, composed of narrow feathers, and which the bird can erect at pleasure. The whole of the plumage is black, but glossed with a greenish-grey tinge in, the living bird, from the quantity of a white powdering substance interspersed among the fea- thers. In museums, the specimens are observed to vary considerably in size ; and Kuhl goes so far as to consider the larger individuals as constituting a species distinct from the lesser, characterising the former by the title of Psittacus Goliah, the smaller by that of P. aterrimus. Further observation, how- ever is required to verify the views of this ornitho- logist, and for the present we adhere to Wagler's opinion, who considered them as identical.
In this subfamily, or in close connection with it, according to Wagler, is another remarkable form, to which he gives the generic title of Dasyptilus, and now illustrated by
140
PESQUET'S DASYPTILUS.
Dasyptilus Pequetii Wagler,
PLATE XVII.
Dasyptilus Pequetii, Wagler Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. S^c. p. 502, 601 — Psittacus Pequetii, Less. Illus. Zool. pi. 1.
Named from the hairy or setaceous nature of the feathers upon the head and neck, and the general ri- gid nature of the whole plumage. The dominant colour is black, in which respect it resembles the Geringores, and the bird last described, but the form of the bill (without adducing other characters) is .so different from that of the species alluded to, as to make it very doubtful whether the station as- signed to it is that to which it properly belongs. For ourselves, we have had no opportunity of exa- mining or comparing it with other species, as it is a bird of great rarity, and but lately discovered, and we are indebted to the liberality of the Noble President of the Linnsean Society, for permission given to Mr Lear to make the necessary drawing, from a speci- men in the collection at Knowsly Park. It is a bird
^
iBiln-
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A
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ciiaracters) is
. i ^ alluded to, as
er the station as-
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of 0X;>-
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from a apeci-
It is a bin!
DASYPTILFS PEQUETII.
D as3^t£Lii,3
DASYPTILUS. 141
of considerable size, measuring upwards of twenty inches in length. The bill is not so deep at the base as in the great majority of the tribe, and its length is greater than its height. The upper man- dible is but moderately curved at the base, but bends suddenly down towards the tip, like that of the Raptorial Birds, and overhangs the under, which is shorter, moderately convex and carinated, with the tip narrowed and strongly emarginated on each side. The nostrils are round, placed in the cere at the base of the bill, the orbits and cheeks naked, thinly beset with hairs, the head and upper neck is also nearly bare, being thinly covered with setaceous feathers. The tarsi and feet are strong, the former short and reti- culated. The tail consists of ten rigid feathers, of mean length and rounded. The wings are ample, the first quill short, the third and fifth of equal length, the fourth the longest in the wing. The upper plumage is of a shining or velvet black, with the ex- ception of the greater wing-coverts and upper tail- coverts, which are crimson, and the secondary quills, which have their outer webs of the same colour. The lower neck and upper part of the breast is black, the belly, vent, and thighs crimson-red.
The next subfamily or primary division of the Psitticidse upon which we enter, is that of Loriana, so named from the beautiful Scarlet-coloured Lories, natives of continental India and its islands, and which appear to constitute one of its typical forms.
142 LORIANA.
It is the second aberrant group of the family, repre- senting the tenuirostral tribe of the Insessores, and consequently is analogous to the order Grallatores in the class Aves ; and to the Glires among the Mammalia. In conformity with these analogies, the existence of which have been traced and followed out in various departments of zoology, with such per- spicuity and convincing force, by one of the first naturalists of the age,* we find the habits as well as the structure of the birds composing it, deviating in a striking manner from those of tbe conterminous groups, of course most conspicuously so, in such as constitute the typical or representative forms. The diflference of structure to which we allude is in the shape of the bill and tongue, the former member be- ing weaker and slenderer in its proportions than in the other Parrots, especially as regards the under mandible, which is lengthened and less convex in its contour, with the tip contracted and narrow, and the tomia or cutting edges straight and without emargina- tion ; the inner surface of the overhanging point of the upper mandible, which in the other groups is rough and like a file, with lines crossing each other at right angles, to give them a firm hold of nuts or seeds, is smooth or nearly so, and the ridge opposing the tip of the under mandible, which in the ^typical Parrots is prominent and strongly marked, is but slightly indicated or altogether wanting in the Lo- riance, as are also the prominences of the palatial * Mr Svainson.
LORIANA. 1 43
bones, which assist so essentially in comminuting the food of the other groups. Their tongue is not so thick or fleshy, and the tip, instead of being smooth and soft, is rough, and in some furnished with a pencil of setaceous .papillae or bristles, si- milar and analogous to the filamentous tongues of the tenuirostral Melliphagidce. This structure, in fact, is bestowed upon them for the same purpose, and performs a similar office, viz. that of extracting the nectar of flowers, and sucking the juices of ten- der fruits, which it appears constitute the principal support of the members of this beautiful division. Of the various genera belonging to the subfamily, besides the true Lories, we may enumerate all the acknowledged members of the genus Trichoglossus of Vigors and Horsf., which also seem to enter among its typical forms, and included among these, or at least in very close connexion, are the birds be- longing to that group, named by Mr Vigors Broto- geris, and typified by the Orange-winged Parrakeet of authors. Another interesting form belonging to it, and which appears to keep up a connexion with the genus Palceornis of the Maccaw subfamily, is the Charmosyna Papuensis of Wagler [PsiUaccus Pa- puensis, Auct.), whose tail, in shape, is nearly similar to that of Palceornis Alexandria but the ground or pre- vailing colour of its plumage is assimilated to that of the true Lories, and is of a rich and vivid scarlet. Besides the forms above enumerated, there are others of a diminutive size, chiefly inhabiting the islands of
144 LORIANA.
the Pacific, which appear closely allied to the Lo- rianse, and which, in ail probability, will be found to enter that subfanaily ; most of these were included by Kuhl, in his section or genus Psittacida^ a group apparently established to receive all the smaller Par- rots, without regard to geographic distribution, or the peculiar characters exhibited by the various indi- viduals composing it, and consequently forming an assemblage purely artificial. Want of materials to institute the necessary analysis, as well as a defi- ciency of information respecting the natural habits of many of these birds, precludes us at present from entering more fully into their true atfinities, or speak- ing with more confidence of the situations they re- spectively hold ; but we have no hesitation in at once admitting into the present division, that group which embraces the Psittacus porphyrio of Shaw ; the Psittacula Kuhlii of Vigors, and several others, of which Wagler has constituted his genus Cori- philus.
We commence our illustrations of this subfamily with examples of the genus Lorius, which may be characterized as follows : — Bill moderate, compressed, the inner side of the tip of the upper mandible smooth ; the under mandible lengthened, conic, with the tip narrow and entire. Tongue tubular, silky. Tail of moderate length, rounded or gra- duated, the feathers broad, with obtuse tips. Legs stout. For the present, we arrange under this genus all the Scarlet-coloured Lories, natives of continental
LORIANA. 145
India and its islands, but whose distribution does not extend so far south as Australia. It is, however, pro- bable that this group will require further division, and that most of the genera indicated by Wagler in his Monograph will hereafter be adopted. The structure and comparative weakness of the bill of these birds, plainly indicate that the nature of their food must be different in quality from that of the powerful billed Parrots, and accordingly we find, that soft fruits, as well as the juices of flowers, constitute their principal support. They are closely connected in affinity with that group of which Psittacula Kuhlii, Vigors, is a type, and with the I.orikeets or genus TrichoglossuSy Vigors, which occupy their place in Australia and the islands of the Pacific. In the breadth, and the rounded tips of their tail feathers, may also be traced an approach to the broad-tails or subfamily Platycercince, with which a connexion is thus sustained. In disposition they are lively, but mild and tractable, and when domesticated, fond of being caressed. The call-note of many of the spe- cies is similar in sound to the name they usually go by, and some of them leai-n to speak with great dis- tinctness. Our first figure represents the
VOL. IV.
146
PURPLE-CAPPED LORY.
Lorius domicellus.
PLATE XVIII.
Psittacus doraicella, ^mc^— Domicella atricapilla, Waglei\ Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. x. p. 567 — Peroquet lori a collier jaune, Le Vaill. p. ^5 — Second black-capped JuOXY^Edw. pi. 171.
This beautiful bird is a native of the Moluccas, and other Eastern Islands, from whence we occa- sionally receive it, being held in high estimation, not only on account of its elegant plumage, but for the docility it evinces, and its distinct utterance of words and sentences. It is also lively and active in its dis- position, and fond of being caressed. In size it is amongst the largest of the group, measuring upwards of 11 inches in length. The general or ground co- lour of the plumage is rich scarlet, this tint occupy- ing all the lower parts of the body, with the excep- tion of a collar of yellow upon the upper part of the breast. The neck, back, upper tail-coverts, and l)a- sal part of the tail, are also of the same colour. The
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i
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1
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bwO.
h f^*^'
:^
PURPLE- CAPPED LORY. * 147
crown of the head is blackish-purple in front, passing into violet-purple on the hinder part. The wings on the upper surface are green, the flexure and margins violet-blue, as are also the under wing-coverts. The feathers of the thighs are azure- coloured exteriorly, their basal parts being greenish. , The bill is orange yellow ; the under mandible conic, and narrow to- wards the tip. In this species, the tongue exhibits in an inferior degree the filamentous character so cha- racteristic of the division, and it is probable that, with three or four others, such as Lorius puniceus, gurruluSi &c., it will be found necessary to separate them from such as exhibit the tubulai* and papillary structure of that member in greater extent and per- fection.
The next form we have to notice is one of great interest, partaking of the essential characters of the Lories, in the form and structure of its bill and tongue, as well as in the prevailing tints of its plum- age. At the same time, it shews a strong analogy to the Ring'Parrakeets, or members of the genus PalcBornis, in the peculiar form of its tail, which nearly resembles that of Palseornis Alexandri. By Wagler it is considered as generically distinct from the other Lories, as well as from the Trichoglossi, or Lorikeets, and of it he institutes his genus Charmosyna ; but as no other species has yet been discovered, and the prolongation of the two mid-
148 CHARMOSYNA.
die tail-feathers appears to be the only character of distinction, we have for the present retained it as an aben*ant form of the genus Lorius. It is the
•-I*
5'i!
■^\
PLATE I,')
CHAIOIOSYlSrA PAPUENSIS.
Papuan Lory.
i
149
PAPUAN LORY.
Charmosyna Papuensis. — Wagler. TLATE XIX.
Charmosyna Papuensis, Wagler, Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. &c., p. 555. — Psittacus Papuensis, Lath. Ind. Orn. vol. i. p. 88, sp. 20. — Psitt. omnicolor, Lich. Catal. Rer. Nat.
Rar.y p. 5, No. 48 La Peruche Lory Papou, Le Vaill.
p. 9, t. 77.
To great elegance of form, this species unites a plumage of the richest description, the ground-colour of the body being of a deep but brilliant scarlet, re- lieved in parts with deep azure-blue, yellow, and green. The tail, or at least the two narrow central feathers, greatly exceed the rest of the body in length, as they measure upwards of 1 1 inches, while the for- mer does not exceed 6 ; the lateral feathers are re- gularly gi-aduated, as in the other Lories, the long- est measuring about 4 inches, or one-third the length of the two intermediate plumes. The bill is of an orange-red colour ; the upper mandible is long, with the tip or hooked part projecting far beyond the under one, which is conic and narrow. The tongue is similar in structure and appearance to that
130 PAPUAN LORY.
of the other members of the group, the tip being furnished with delicate papillae. Upon the vertex and nape are two irregular bars of azure, margined with purplish- black. The lower parts of the tibiae, lower back, and rump, are also of a deep azure. Upon the sides of the breast and thighs are patches of rich yellow. The wings are green ; the interior webs of the quills blackish. The elongated tail-fea- thers are pale grass-green, passing towards the tips into yellow ; the lateral have their basal half dark green, the remainder deep saffron yellow. This lovely spe- cies is an inhabitant of Papua, and other parts of New Guinea, and, as might be expected in countries rarely visited by the naturalist, little is known of its history or peculiar habits. Its remains, like those of the birds of Paradise, frequently reach us in a mu- tilated state, being deprived of the legs, and often wanting the long feathers of the tail ; and from such specimens have been derived the imperfect descrip- tions of various authors.
We now enter upon an Australian group, which, in that division of the globe, takes the place of the Indian Lories. The members belonging to it, instead of having the ground or prevailing colour of the plumage of a red or vermilion tint, have it green, of brighter or deeper shades, according to the species, variegated, however, in many of them, with masses of the first-named colour. In this genus, the tail is more elongated than in the true Lories, and regular-
TRICHOGLOSSUS. , 151
ly graduated, with the tips of the feathers narrow ; the wings are also narrow and pointed. It consti- tutes Vigors's genus Trichoglossus, and is thus cha- racterized:— Bill subelongate, compressed, weak, the inferior mandible slightly convex, longer than high, narrowed towards the tip, with the margins thin and entire; inner surface of the projecting tip of the up- per mandible smooth, or but slightly striated ; tongue furnished near the tip with a pencil of bristly papillae ; wings of moderate length, narrow, the first quill longest, the second and third a trifle shorter, the webs entire ; feet, the tarsi short, feathered below the joint ; toes strong, with the soles broad and ex- tended ; the claws greatly falcated, strong and sharp ; tail graduated, with the feathers narrowing towards the point. The members of this genus are birds of elegant form, and some exhibit a great variety and richness of plumage ; they are strictly arboreal and scansorial, as indicated by the form and strength of theii* feet and claws. In the quality of their food, and the structure of their tongue, they shew their typical station in this representative section of the Tenuirostral Tribe, their principal nutriment being derived from the nectar of flowers ; they also eat or suck the juices of the soft or exterior portion of va- rious fruits, but do not attempt the kernels or actual seeds, which constitute the general and favourite pabulum of the rest of the Psittacidae. In their contour, and the indications of a nuchal collar which several of the species possess, we also trace a resem-
1 52 TRICHOGLOSSUS.
blance to the Parrakeets, or genus Palaeornis, Vigors ; and this analogy we might expect to find, if, as we suppose, the Parrakeets in their own circle consti- tute the Tenuirostral type. In the present genus, we are also induced to retain the Orange-winged Panot of authors (Psittacus pyrrhopterus), for which bird Mr Vigors instituted the genus Brotogeris, as we cannot observe any character of sufficient import- ance to warrant a generic separation, the only dif- ference seeming to be a slight elongation of the tip of the upper mandible; but this is rendered less abrupt by the intervention of another species, the Trichoglossjis pahnarum, in which it is of a size in- termediate between that of Trich. chlorolepidotus, T. Sivainsonii, &c., and that of Trich. pyrrhopterus. The first example we give of this genus is the
CI
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nis, Vigors:
present genuv
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TRirHO&LOSSCS S%VAINSOMI
Blue Bellied Lorikeet
153
BLUE-BELLIED LORIKEET.
Trichoglossus Swainsonii. — Jardine and Selbv.
PLATE XX.
Trichoglossus hsematodus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans. vol. XV. p. 289 — Trichoglossus multicolor, Wagler^
Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. &c., p. 553 La Peruche a
tete bleu, Male, Waill. His. des Per. i. pi. 24 Pe- ruche des Moluques, jBw^ PL Enl. No. 743 — Blue-bellied
Parakeet, JSroM)«, ///. of Zool. pi. 7; Illus. Orn. pi. 3
Blue-bellied Parrot, White, Voy. N. S. W., plate at p. 140.
This beautiful species is a native of New Hol- land, where it is found in large flocks, wherever the various species of Eucalypti abound, the flowers of those trees affording an abundant supply of food to this as well as to other species of the Nectivorous Parrots. According to the observations of Mr Ca- ley, as quoted by Messrs Vigors and Horsfield in their description of the Australian birds in the col- lection of the Linnaean Society, " Flocks of these birds may be seen in the eucalypti-trees, when in flower, in different parts of the country, but in the greatest number near their breeding places." They do not, he adds^ eat any kind of grain, even in a do-
VOL, VI. Q
154 BLUE-BELLIED LORIKEET.
mesticated state ; a fact curiously illustrative of their peculiar habits, and the situation they hold in the family of the Psittacidse. It appears that they sel- dom live long in confinement, and that when caged they are very subject to fits. This in all probabili- ty arises from a deficiency of their natural food ; and the instinctive feeling or appetite for its favourite diet is strongly exemplified in the fact, that one kept by Mr Caley being shewn a figure of a coloured plant, used to put its tongue to the flowers, as if with the intent of sucking them, and this it even did when shewn a figured piece of cotton furniture. By the natives it is called War-rin ; the settlers call it by the name of the Blue Mountain Parrot, though the term seems to be misapplied, as it is a frequenter of the plains, and not of the hilly districts. Its flesh is excellent, and highly esteemed. This bird was confounded with two other species, viz. the Psitt. hcematodus of Linnseus, and the Psiii. amhoinensis varia of Brisson. The subject, however, has been thoroughly investigated by Mr Swainson, and the result of that investigation is given in the " Illustra- tions of Ornithology, *" " where it is clearly shewn to be a species distinct from the other two, and as such it received the name we now attach to it, which we think it proper to notice, as it has since been desig- nated by Wagler, in his Monograph of the Parrots, as the Trichoglossus multicolor,
• Illustrations of Ornithology by Sir William Jardine, Bart, and P. J. Selby, v. 2. part 8. pi. 112.
BLUE-BELLIED LORIKEET. 155
Mr Lear's beautiful and accurate figure renders it almost unnecessary to give a description of the plumage; but as the bird has so frequently been con- founded with two other species, it may perhaps be satisfactory to some of our readers to give it in de- tail. Length about 13 inches, of the tail alone 6 inches ; bill, in the dead bird, pale saffron yellow, in the living, inclining to orange ; head and throat of a fine bluish-purple, the feathers rigid and subulate, upon the lower part of the throat they are more in- clined to lavender purple, and lose the rigid and su- bulate character ; nuchal collar yellowish or vivid silken green ; lower neck and breast bright vermilion-red, passing on the sides of the breast into rich king's yel- low; middle of abdomen of a deep imperial purple, the feathers towards the sides vermilion, tipped with vivid green ; hypochondria green, the basal part of the feathers varied with vermilion and yellow; tibial feathers vermilion-red ; under tail-coverts, with the base of the feathers, red, the middle part yellow, the tips green ; under wing-coverts rich vermilion-red ; margin of the wings and all the upper plumage bright grass-green ; the feathers upon the lower part of the back of the neck with their bases vermilion, margin- ed with yellow ; tail with the four middle feathers entirely green, the remainder of the lateral feathers with part of the inner web rich yellow, increasing in extent to the outermost, where the whole of the web, with the exception of a small spot at the tip, is of that colour ; quills with the inner webs dusky, and
156 BLUE-BELLIED LORIKEET.
each with a large oval central spot of king's yellow, forming a broad fascia on the under side of the wings ; legs and toes grey, the lateral membranes broad ; the claws strong and greatly hooked.
The next figure represents another beautiful species of this group : it is the
PLATE 21.
TRICHOCLOSSrS VERSICOLOR
Vniiecl Lorikeet
157
VARIED LORIKEET.
Trichoglossus versicolor.
PLATE XXI.
Trichoglossus versicolor, Lear's Parrots.
Nearly allied to the Trick. Swainsonii, in form and general aspect, another lovely species has lately been discovered in New Holland, which has received the appropriate specific name of versicolor^ the co- lours of which the plumage is composed being great- ly varied, and presenting to the eye an assemblage and contrast of brilliant tints, as exhibited in the ac- companying engraving, and in still greater perfection in the full-sized figure contained in Mr Lear's splen- did work on the Psittacidae. It appears to possess all the typical characters of the group ; but we have no information respecting its peculiar habits in its wild or natural state.
From species possessing a richly-varied plumage, we now pass to others, where it is plainer, and of a more uniform tint, but which otherwise exhibit all the essential characters of the genus. In dimensions
158 VARIED LORIKEET.
also they are generally inferior, and one of them, the Trich. pusillus, ranks among the pigmies of the Psittacean family. The species selected for repre- sentation is the
-\>«n\ ^KMin'mr:^,
r
$f
11
TKUHOGLOSSIS PYRRHOPTERl'S
Orange -Wixigfed Lorikeet.
159
ORANGE. WINGED LORIKEET.
Trichoglossus pyrrhopterus Wagler.
PLATE XXIL
Brotogeris pyrrhopterus, Vig.' Zool. Journ. ii. p. 400 — Psittacus pyrrhopterus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Sup. p. 22, No. 7;
Vig. in Zool. Journ. i. 535 Orange-winged Parrakeet,
Lath. Syn. Sup. ii. p. 90, No. 16.
From this bird, which Mr Vigors described in the first volume of the Zoological Journal, under Latham's title of the Orange-winged Parrakeet, he afterwards formed his genus Brotogeris ; but, as we have previously observed, the characters upon which it is instituted seem to vary so little from those of Trichoglossus, that we have followed the example of Wagler, and retained it in the latter genus, in close association, however, with Trichoglossus palmarimi^ another Pacific species, which, as a slightly aberrant form, seems gradually to lead to other and stronger billed groups of the Psittacidse. It is a native of the Sandwich Islands, and not of the Brazils, as at first supposed by Dr Latham ; and the two indivi- duals which we well recollect seeing, when in Mr Vigors's possession, were brought to England in the
160 ORANGE- WINGED LORIKEET.
same vessel which conveyed hither the late unfortu- nate King and Queen of these Islands. As any in- formation tending to elucidate the habits and man- ners of species cannot fail to be equally interesting to the naturalist and the general reader, we make no apology for quoting largely from the account given by Mr Vigors of these two lovely birds. " In their manners," he observes, "they are peculiarly interest- ing. Strongly attached to each other, like the indi- viduals of the small species, so well known in our collections, and which we familiarly style Loxie Birds, they assert an equal claim to that title, if it is to be considered the reward, or the distinctive sign of af- fection. They will not admit of being separated even for a moment; and, whether in their cage or at liberty, every act and every movement of one has a reference to the acts and movements of the other. They are lively, active, and familiar, distinguishing and following those who attend to them, with per- fect confidence, but alvoays in concert ^ Their movements, he adds, are less constrained than those of Parrots in general, approaching, both on the ground and the wing, to the quick pace and short and rapid flight of the more typical perchers. They have apparently less powers of voice than the greater part of the family, uttering only a sort of chirrup like that of the sparrow ; this is shrill, it must be confessed, at times when rivalship or any particular incitement induces them to exert it to the utmost ; but at other times it is far from unpleasing, more
ORANGE-WINGED LORIKEET. 161
especially when they employ it, as is their custom, either in welcoming the approach of the moraing, or acknowledging the attentions of a favourite." In size it is inferior to the species already described, mea- suring not more than 7^ inches in length. The bill is pale, slightly tinged with pink ; the upper man- dible with the tip attenuated and long ; the tomia slightly sinuated. The crown of the head and paro- tic region is of a delicate greenish-blue ; the sides of the neck and throat, and indistinct nuchal collar, are greyish- white ; the rest of the body, with the ex- ception of the under wing-coverts, which are of a rich orpiment-orange colour, is green, palest upon the flanks, thighs, and the margins of the tail-feathers. The feet are of a pale flesh-colour.
VOL. VI.
Natural History of Parrots. Selby, 1835
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