are inhabitants of the woods, only leaving them to linger on their
outskirts, and from thence to contemplate the tempting fields of fruit,
upon which from time to time they make a raid. Many of them never quit
their dense forests, whilst others of the smaller kinds prefer the less
shady trees or open country.
These birds belong to Africa and the neighbouring islands, and also to
various islands in the Pacific Ocean; they are likewise met with in
great numbers in South America. The family is very rich in species;
we shall, however, only select a few from the many, seeing that the
mere description of their plumage would be wearisome, and we scarcely
possess any information with regard to their mode of life in their native
haunts. There can be no hesitation in placing the "JAKO," the GREY, or
RED-TAILED PARROT (_Psittacus erithacus_) first upon the list, for it may
be considered as the type of the race; it is true that it has neither the
quickest flight nor the gayest plumage, but it combines in itself that
equal excellence of all the attributes of a parrot which gives and will
retain for it a pre-eminence among its congeners.