264 BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW.

The blue and yellow macaw is a native of Brazil,
Guiana, and Surinam, tenanting the swampy forests along
the banks of rivers, and generally living in pairs, though
sometimes they assemble in large flocks. Their food
consists principally of the fruit of a kind of palm, abun-
dant in humid or marshy places.

On the wing, the blue and yellow macaw is rapid,
displaying great address and ease in its aerial movements,
and is often seen skimming over the tops of the loftiest
trees, the highest branches of which it selects for its
roosting-place, like the parrots generally. This macaw
lavs two white eggs in the hollow of a decayed tree;
both sexes attending to the duty of incubation, and the
labour of rearing the young. Two broods are said to
be produced annually.”