The ornithology of Francis Willughby of Middleton in the county of Warwick Esq, fellow of the Royal Society in three books : wherein all the birds hitherto known, being reduced into a method sutable to their natures, are accurately described : the descriptions illustrated by most elegant figures, nearly resembling the live birds, engraven in LXXVII copper plates : translated into English, and enlarged with many additions throughout the whole work : to which are added, Three considerable discourses, I. of the art of fowling, with a description of several nets in two large copper plates, II. of the ordering of singing birds, III. of falconry / by John Ray ...

CHAP. III. Of middle-sized Parrots, properly called Parrots and Poppinjayes.

§. I. * The white cresled Parrot of Aldrovandus.

IT was about thirteen inches long, as big as an ordinary young Pullet, or the grea∣test sort of tame Pigeon. N. B. I here measure the length from the tip of the Bill to the end of the Wings, for measuring to the end of the Tail it is about eighteen inches. Its Tail contrary to the manner of other Parrots, is not stretched out di∣rectly backwards in length, but erected after the fashion of the common Dunghill-Cock and Hens. It hath an ash-coloured Bill, inclining to black, having wide open Nosthrils near the Head, and rising up, with a round ridge or bunch between them. The Tongue is broad and red: The Irides of the Eyes yellow, the Pupil black. The whole body cloathed with white feathers. The crown of the Head is adorned with fair feathers, a handful and half high, bending somewhat backward, ending in sharp points again reflected forwards, ten in number, as it were a crest. The Tail in like manner is erected on high, consisting of a great many white feathers, nine inches long, such as are seen in the Tails of Dunghil-Cocks. The Legs and Feet are yellowish: The Claws small, scarce hooked and black.

§. II. The most common green Parrot having the ridge of the Wing red. Aldrov.

THis is nothing less, if not bigger, than the white crested Parrot, almost fifteen inches long, of the bulk of the greatest tame Pigion or a Pullet of the first year. [With us they are not ordinarily so big.] The upper Chap of the Bill is black at the point, then bluish, the remainder being red; the lower Chap white: The Iris of the Eye of a Saffron colour, or rather red, the Pupil black: The crown of the Head yellow: All the rest of the body is green, the under side more dilute and yellowish; the Back and Wings darker, and the greatest and outmost Pinion feather inclining somewhat to blue. Only the uppermost ridge of the Wings is red;

as also the Tail, which is but short: In the lower part on each side it is marked with a long, red spot, but above it is yellow. The Legs and Feet are ash-coloured: The Claws black, and not much hooked.

This kind is the most common of all with us. In those I described at London there was a white circle about the Eyes: and the upper Chap of the Bill had on each side a tooth-like process or Appendix, to which answered a dent or nick in the lower.

§. III. * Aldrovandus his Parrot with a particoloured Bill.

FRom the tip of the Bill to the end of the Tail it was eighteen inches long. The upper Chap in the upper part was of a bluish green, of a yellow Oker colour in the sides; the tip-crossed with a white spot: The lower Chap of the Bill of a lead-colour round about, and yellow in the middle, the crown of the Head adorned with yellow or golden feathers. The rest of the body was for the most part green, the Back darker, the Belly and Breast lighter, with a gloss of yellow, the roots or bot∣toms of the feathers being every where cinereous. The flag-feathers on their outer webs toward the belly were first green, then by little and little growing blue, termi∣nate in a purplish colour, being elsewhere black. The second row of Wing-feathers were wholly yellow. Those which grew about the middle of the Wings, at their beginning, on the outer web, which respects the belly, were first green, then of a dark red, then green again, and lastly at their tips partly of a violet colour, partly black, with so great variety. The Tail is composed of twelve feathers, of which four on each side at their rise or beginning are first green on the exteriour web, yellow on the interiour, then of a red or Scarlet colour, thirdly green again, and lastly yel∣low. The four remaining middle feathers are wholly or all over green, only at their very ends shew something of yellow. The Feet are of a lead-colour, having four toes, two standing forward, and two backwards, as in Woodpeckers; the interiour being much shorter than the exteriour. The Claws crooked as in Rapacious birds. The Legs not above an inch long, but pretty thick.

§. IV. * The black-billed green Parrot of Aldrovandus.

THis is thirteen inches long, hath a great, thick Bill, like the rest, but wholly black. At the beginning of the Bill, on the Crown, and under the Throat it is of a blue colour, tending to green. The Iris of the Eye is of a dark Saffron, the Pupil black: The rest of the Head and the Breast yellow: The Belly of a middle co∣lour between yellow and green; as also the upper side of the Tail. The Neck and all the Back with the Wings are of a deep green: So that it would be almost wholly green, but that the very extreme ridge of the Wing, where it is joyned to the body, is of a Scarlet red; and then follows a black feather in the outside or extremity of the Wings which respect the belly, and lastly the tips of the flag-feathers are red. Besides these also the lower part of the Rump is tinctured with a Scarlet red. The Feet are dusky: The Talons black, and somewhat crooked. The Tail is about a Palm long more or less.

§. V. * The white-headed Parrot of Aldrovandus.

IT is ten inches long: The Bill white, and two inches thick: That part of the Head next to the Bill is also white: The Pupil of the Eye black, the Iris ferrugineous. The forehead and crown of the head are white, variegated with black spots. The hinder part of the Head, Neck, Back, Wings, and Rump above are tinctured with a dark green: The Throat and uppermost ridge of the Wings with a Vermilion red. The Breast and Thighs again are green. The part of the Belly lying between the Thighs and the Breast is of a dusky colour obscurely red, or of that the Painters call Umber [terrae Umbriae.] Some of the covert-feathers of the Wings, viz. the out∣most, are blue, but with some mixture of white. The lower part of the belly next

the Rump yellow. The Tail is red in the middle; the sides being variegated with red, yellow, and blue. Almost all the feathers have their utmost tips black, but else are green: The Legs and Feet cinereous. This Bird from the great variety of its colours might well be called the particoloured or many-coloured [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] Parrot; it being of no less than seven several colours, of which yet the chief is green.

Mr. Willughby doth thus briefly describe either this same Parrot, or one very like it. It is of a green colour, lesser than a Pigeon: The Irides of the Eyes of a Hazel co∣lour. The Bill is white: From the Bill to the middle of the crown it is also white. Under the Eyes and the under Chap it is of a Vermilion colour. The middle of the Breast and Belly between the Legs is reddish. The outer webs of the Tail-feathers to the shaft are of a flame-colour. Towards the crown of the Head the edges of all the feathers are dark or blackish. The outmost flag-feathers are bluish. The exteriour border of the Tail-end is bluish. A dark spot covers the Ears. The lower part of the Belly is of a yellowish green.

§. VI. * The red and blue Parrot of Aldrovandus.

THis bird is nine inches long, sufficiently corpulent. The Bill not so great as in the precedent, blackish: The Head, Neck, and Breast are blue: The top of the crown remarkable for a yellow spot. The region of the Eyes white; the Pupil black; the Iris dusky. The sides of the Belly under the tips of the Wings yellow: The Bel∣ly green. The Thighs white, with a shadow of green. The Rump yellow. The top of the back of a pale blue. The covert feathers of the Wings particoloured of green, yellow, and rosie. The end of the back or region of the loins yellowish. The Legs and Feet are ash-coloured, the rest of the body is of a rose-colour or bluish.

§. VII. Aldrovandus his ash-coloured or bluish Parrot.

THis according to Aldrovandus is ten inches long: Of the bigness of a tame Pigeon, or the common green Parrot. The Bill is black: The Nosthrils near to one another, in the upper part of the Bill next to the Head; which part is covered with a naked white skin [we afterwards observed the same figure and situation of the Nosthrils in all other Parrots.] The whole body is of an uniform colour, viz. a dark cinereous: Yet the lower part of the Back and Belly and the Rump are paler than the rest of the body, and almost white. The Tail is red of a Vermilion colour, very short, and scarce reaching further than the ends of the Wings. The region of the Eyes [sides of the head round the Eyes] is white and bare of feathers. The feathers of the Head and Neck are shorter than the others. They say that all of this kind are brought from Mina, an Indian City of St. Georges. We have seen many of them at London.

§. VIII. * The red and white Parrot of Aldrovandus.

IT is equal to an indifferent great Capon, seventeen inches long. The Head and Neck thick. The whole body white, but moderately shaded with dusky, so that it seems to be ash-coloured. Its Bill is black, the hooked part being longer than in others. The hinder part of the Back, the Rump, the whole Tail, and prime fea∣thers of the Wings are of a Scarlet colour [Miniaceo colore.] The Feet, as in others, blackish. In bigness of body it gives not place to that greatest sort which are less vo∣cal, called Maccaws: In this only it is inferiour to them, that it hath a shorter Tail: For which cause, notwithstanding its magnitude, we have placed it in this Classis or rank.

§. IX. * Marggravius his middle-sized Parrots.

THe first Species called AJURUCURAU is a very elegant bird. Above the Bill on the head it hath a tuft or cop of a lovely blue. The throat, sides, and up∣per part of the Head are cloathed with feathers of a delicate yellow: The whole body of pleasant green. In brief, it is elegantly variegated. The Tail is green, but when it spreads it appears edged or fringed with black, red, and blue. The Legs and Feet of an ash-coloour: The Bill more dusky: The Eyes black, with a golden circle about the Pupil. The Tongue of all is broad and thick.

The second Species is like to the former, a little differing in the variegation of the colours, viz. On the top of the Head it hath a yellow cop, wherewith white is ming∣led. Above the Eyes, and under the Throat it is of a clear or bright yellow. About the upper Bill is a Sea-green spot.

The third Species called AJURUCURUCA hath a tuft on its Head of a colour mingled of blue and a little black; and in the middle of the tuft a yellow spot. Be∣low the Eyes is a yellow, and on the Throat a blue spot. The Breast is green, as are also the Wings and Back, but somewhat deeper or darker, the ends of the Wings and the Tail again being more dilute: the tips of the Wing-feathers are yellow and red, mingled with blue. The Tail underneath is particoloured of green and yellow, above of a pale green. The Legs of a bluish ash-colour. The Bill above cinereous, in the extremities black. The Claws black.

PARAGUA is a black Parrot of the bigness of Ajurucariu: The Breast, Back, and anteriour half of the belly remarkably red: The Eyes black, encompassed with a red circle or Iris: The Bill dusky, or of a dark ash-colour.

The TARABE of the Brasilians is a green Parrot bigger than a Paragua, with a red Head and Breast, of which colour is also the beginning of the Wings. The Beak and Feet are of a dark ash-colour.

AJURUCATINGA of the Brasilians is a Parrot of the bigness of a handsom Pul∣let: All green, with red Eyes, and the skin about the Eyes white: The Bill and Legs white. It hath a long green Tail. This in colour and length of the tail agrees with the Parakeet, but differs from it in bigness.

AJURUPARA agrees in all respects with the precedent, only it is less.