The Parrots of the Andes

Le Vail has noticed the silence of these birds at the approach of a suspicious-looking visitor on the occasion of their midday assemblages. They will keep themselves so still that not the slightest sound can be heard to proceed from among them, even though thousands should be congregated together. The presence of a numerous flock of parrots is generally only betrayed by the empty husks that rattle as they fall against the broad leaves of the bushes. In India, as Jordan informs us, they not only come boldly into the towns, but will settle down without the slightest shyness upon the tops of the houses. From this elevation descend to plunder the gardens and fields in the neighborhood. Incredibly