Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/137

 PAEROT PARROTT 127 which is short and even ; about 30 species are described in South America, Africa, and Asia and its archipelago ; they are rapid fliers and expert climbers, often hanging head downward in their search for fruits ; while feeding they utter a shrill chirp, like that of a large grass- hopper ; when sleeping they generally suspend themselves by one or both feet, head down- ward. Here belong the beautiful little "love birds," the genus agapornis of Selby. Swin- dern's love bird (P. Swindereniana, Kuhl) is a native of S. Africa ; it is about 6 in. long, with a black strong bill whose upper mandi- ble is notched; the head and nape are bright green, bounded by a black nuchal collar ; neck and breast yellowish green, mantle and wings green, lower back and upper tail coverts azure blue ; the short and nearly even tail has a me- dian bar of vermilion edged with black and the tip green. These parrots are remarkable for their attachment to each other. PARROT, Johann Jakob Friedrich Wilhelm, a German physician, born in Oarlsruhe, Oct. 14, 1792, died in Dorpat, Jan. 15, 1841. In 1811 and 1812 he travelled in company with Engel- hardt over southern Russia and the Caucasus, and on his return published Reise in die JKrim und Kaulcasien (2 vols., Berlin, 1815-'18). In 1821 he was appointed professor of physiolo- gy, pathology, and semeiology in the university of Dorpat, travelled in 1824 in the Pyrenees, and in 1829 was the first to make a successful ascent of Mt. Ararat. He wrote Reise sum Ararat (2 vols., Berlin, 1834; translated by Cooley, London, 1845) ; a treatise on " Gasom- etry" (Dorpat, 1814) ; and AnsicJiten uber die allgemeine Krankheitslehre (Riga, 1821). PARROT FISH, the common name of the nu- merous cyclolabroid fishes of the genus scarus Forsk.) ; the name is derived from the beak- like form of their jaws ; they also present the ?arae brilliancy and variety of colors as do the wrots among birds. The form is oblong and with the lateral line branching and in- ted under the end of the dorsal fin. The are prominent, convex, each divided by median suture; the teeth are incorporated th the bone, arranged in an imbricated man- r in crowded quincunxes, the oldest forming 2. Jaws, natural size. itting border, and succeeded by the low- s as the former are worn away ; their is generally smooth and polished ; the Seal teeth consist of trenchant trans- VOL. XIII. 9 verse vertical plates, two above and one be- low, presenting when worn narrow ellipses of dentine surrounded by enamel ; the lips are simple and fleshy, in some species leaving the teeth exposed. The body is covered with large scales, as far as the gill covers and cheeks, there being from 21 to 25 in a longitudinal line and 8 in a vertical one at the region of the pectorals ; those at the base of the caudal fin are large and embrace a considerable portion of its rays ; there is a single conical dorsal, with 9 spiny and 10 articulated rays ; the anal has 2 spiny and 8 articulated rays. The muz- zle is obtuse, and the profile sometimes rather high ; there are no stomachal nor pancreatic caeca. About 100 species are described, living principally on the coral reefs of the "West and East Indian archipelagoes, about one quarter dwelling around the Molucca and Sunda isl- ands. The best known is the parrot fish of the Mediterranean (S. Cretensis, Rond.), red or blue according to season, highly esteemed by the ancients; it is about 15 in. long, of a general purplish color, roseous below, and vio- let brown on the back ; the pectorals orange, ventrals with transverse lines of violet, and dorsal violet gray with golden spots and bands. There is more said of this fish in the ancient writers than of any other; in Pliny's time it was ranked as the first of fishes, and large sums were expended to stock the Italian waters with it from the sea between Crete and Asia Minor. By the ancients it was believed to have a voice, to sleep at night (alone of fishes), to release its companions and other fishes from nets, and to have the power of ruminating ; the last belief naturally arose from the backward and forward movement of the jaws rendered possible by the mode of articulation, and ne- cessary for the complete mastication of the sea- weeds upon which it principally feeds. Its flesh is tender and easy of digestion, and the intestines and their contents were highly rel- ished; the modern Greeks call it scaro^ and consider it a fish of exquisite flavor, eating it with a sauce made of its liver and intestines, as the moderns eat plover and woodcock ; its liver entered into the composition of the fa- mous dish called "the shield of Minerva," with the brains of the peacock and pheasant, fla- mingoes' tongues, and the milt of the munena eel. The red parrot fish of the West Indies (S. Abilgaardii, Val.), about 16 in. long, is a handsome species. The great parrot fish (S* guacamaia, Val.), from the same locality, at- tains a length of 2 or 3 ft., and a weight of 30 Ibs. ; the colors are red, blue, and green. Many other beautiful species are described from North America in Dr. Storer's " Synop- sis," and the whole genus is treated at length in vol. xiv. of the Histoire naturelle des pois- sons by Cuvier and Valenciennes. PARROTT, Robert Parker, an American in- ventor, born in Lee, K H., Oct. 5, 1804. He graduated at the United States military acad- emy in 1824, became second lieutenant of ar-