Volume Ii Part 10 (1/2)

Gibson's residence near Cape San Antonio, on the Atlantic coast, there is still a large colony of these birds inhabiting the Tala woods (_Celtis tala_), and I take the following facts from one of his papers on the ornithology of the district.

He describes the woods as being full of their nests, with their bright-coloured talkative denizens and their noisy chatter all day long drowning every other sound. They are extremely sociable and breed in communities. When a person enters the wood their subdued chatter suddenly ceases, and during the ominous silence a hundred pairs of black beady eyes survey the intruder from the nests and branches; and then follows a whirring of wings and an outburst of screams that spreads the alarm throughout the woods. The nests are frequented all the year, and it is rare to find a large one unattended by some of the birds any time during the day. In summer and autumn they feed princ.i.p.ally on the thistle; first the flower is cut up and pulled to pieces for the sake of the green kernel, and later they eat the fallen seed on the ground.

Their flight is rapid, with quick flutters of the wings, which seem never to be raised to the level of the body. They pay no regard to a _Polyborus_ or _Milvago_, but mob any other bird of prey appearing in the woods, all the Parrakeets rising in a crowd and hovering about it with angry screams.

The nests are suspended from the extremities of the branches, to which they are firmly woven. New nests consist of only two chambers, the porch and the nest proper, and are inhabited by a single pair of birds.

Successive nests are added, until some of them come to weigh a quarter of a ton, and contain material enough to fill a large cart. Th.o.r.n.y twigs, firmly interwoven, form the only material, and there is no lining in the breeding-chamber, even in the breeding-season. Some old forest trees have seven or eight of these huge structures suspended from the branches, while the ground underneath is covered with twigs and remains of fallen nests. The entrance to the chamber is generally underneath, or if at the side is protected by an overhanging eave to prevent the intrusion of opossums. These entrances lead into the porch or outer chamber, and the latter communicates with the breeding-chamber. The breeding-chambers are not connected with each other, and each set is used by one pair of birds.

The number of pairs does not exceed a dozen, even with the largest nests. Repairs are carried on all the year round, but new nests are only added at the approach of spring. Opossums are frequently found in one of the higher chambers, when the entrance has been made too high, but though they take up their abode there they cannot reach the other chambers, and the Parrakeets refuse to go away. A species of Teal (probably _Querquedula brasiliensis_) also sometimes occupies and breeds in their chambers, and in one case Mr. Gibson found an opossum domiciled in an upper chamber, Parrakeets occupying all the others except one, in which a Teal was sitting on eggs.

The breeding-season begins about November 1, and as many as seven or eight eggs are laid; these are dull white, very thin-sh.e.l.led, elongated, and have the greatest diameter exactly equidistant from the two ends.

Mr. Barrows speaks as follows of this species in Entrerios:--”An abundant and familiar bird in the neighbourhood of Concepcion through the entire year. It is commonly seen in flocks of twenty and upwards, visiting grain-fields, gardens, &c., and sometimes, if I was correctly informed, it has appeared in flocks of tens of thousands, completely stripping the grain-fields. They nest in communities, many pairs uniting in the building of a large common nest or ma.s.s of nests. I only saw these nests on two occasions, and had no opportunity of examining their structure. They were placed on high trees, and appeared from below to be simply irregular ma.s.ses, six or eight feet in diameter, formed of small sticks and twigs. Where the nests are abundant the natives destroy the young by hundreds, and the 'squabs' when nearly grown are said to be very fine eating. The young are easily tamed, and may be taught to articulate a few simple words.”

281. BOLBORHYNCHUS AYMARA (d'Orb.).

(AYMARA PARRAKEET.)

[Plate XV.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOLBORHYNCHUS AYMARA.]

+Conurus aymara+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 442 (Mendoza).

+Bolborhynchus aymara+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 113; _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 40 (Cordova). +Conurus brunniceps+, _Burm.

Journ. f. Orn._ 1860, p. 243.

_Description._--Above green; head earthy brown: beneath pale grey, nearly white on the sides of the head; under wing-coverts, flanks, lower belly, and crissum pale green; under surface of wings and tail blackish; beak whitish: whole length 70 inches, wing 39, tail 40.

_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Bolivia and N. Argentina.

Prof. Burmeister found this Parrakeet not uncommon on the borders of the sierra near Mendoza. White met with it near Cosquin in the province of Cordova, in flocks on the mountain-tops, about 3500 feet above the sea-level. He says it is called ”_Cat.i.ta de las sierras_,” and that it never descends to the valleys. Its flight is very swift, and is accompanied by a sort of chirping.

The figure (Plate XV.) is taken from a specimen in Sclater's collection, obtained by Buckley in Bolivia.

282. BOLBORHYNCHUS RUBRIROSTRIS (Burm.).

(RED-BILLED PARRAKEET.)

+Conurus rubrirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 442; _id. P.

Z. S._ 1878, p. 77. +Bolborhynchus rubrirostris+, _Scl. et Salv.

Nomencl._ p. 113.

_Description._--Uniform green; wing-feathers blackish, edged with blue; bill rosy red: whole length 70 inches, wing 50, tail 28.