Psittacus pullarius, LINNÆUS; La Perruche à tête rouge,
BUFFON; Der Rothköpfige Guineische Sittich, BECHSTEIN.
Bird-sellers give the name of _Guinea-sparrow_ to this little parrakeet,
which is not larger than the common crossbill. The beak is red, but pale
at the tip, the membrane at the base ash colour, as well as the circle
round the eyes. The feet are grey, the iris bluish; the front part of
the head and throat are red; the edge of the wings and rump blue. The
upper side of the tail feathers is red, the under has a black streak,
the tip is green; the two centre feathers are entirely green, like the
rest of the body.
In the female, the colours are the same, though lighter, and the lower
part of the wing is yellow.
These birds may be found in any part of the torrid zone in the old
world, from Guinea to India. As most of them died on the voyage, there
were formerly very few of them in Europe, but as the means of preserving
them is now better known, most bird-sellers have them. Though they
cannot learn to speak, and their cry is rather disagreeable, yet one
cannot help admiring them as much for their beauty as their great
mildness. They are so much attached to each other that they must always
be had in pairs, and if one dies the other rarely survives it. Some
people think that a mirror hung in the cage, in which the survivor may
imagine that it still sees its lost companion, will console it. The male
remains affectionately near the female, feeds her, and gives her the
most tender caresses; she, in her turn, shows the greatest uneasiness if
she be separated from him for an instant. In the countries which this
species inhabits, it makes great havoc among the corn. In Europe it is
fed on canary seed, millet, and white bread soaked in boiled milk.