Part 6

In the Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 15 (1905), I unfortunately described this bird under the name of _Anadorhynchus coeruleus_ (Gm.), having misread his description, and also said it came from Jamaica. Professor Salvadori, in the Ibis (1906) Series 8, Vol. VI, "Notes on Parrots," p. 451, calls attention to my double error, but failed entirely to realise what bird I really meant. The original description is (translated) as follows:--

"Among them are some which have the head, the upper side of the neck, and the back of a satiny sky blue; the underside of the neck, the belly, and undersurface of the wings, yellow, and the tail entirely red."

No specimen existing.

Habitat: One of the West Indian Islands.

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ANODORHYNCHUS PURPURASCENS ROTHSCH.

(PLATE 13.)

_Le gros Perroquet de la Guadaloupe_ Don de Navarette, Rel. Quat. voy. Christ. p. 425 pl. II (1838).

_Anadorhynchus purpurascens_ Rothsch. Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 13 (1905); Proc. IV Orn. Congr., p. 202 (1907).

The original description of this bird says it was entirely deep violet. Native name _Oné couli_. No specimen extant. I have placed this species in the genus _Anodorhynchus_ on account of its uniform bluish colour.

Habitat: Guadaloupe.

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AMAZONA VIOLACEUS (GM.)

(PLATE 17.)

_Perroquet de la Guadeloupe_ Du Tertre, Hist. Nat. Antill. II, p. 250, fig. p. 246 (1667).

_Perroquets_ Labat, Voy. aux iles de l'Amér., vol. II p. 214 (1742).

_Psittacus violaceus_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 337 (1788).

Labat's translated original description is as follows:--"Those of Guadaloupe are a little smaller than the _Aras_; they have the head, the neck, and the belly slate colour with a few green and black feathers, the back is entirely green, and the wings are yellow and red."

Gmelin's description reads thus:--"Ps. violaceus viridi et nigro admisto varius, dorso ex fusco viridi, remigibus majoribus nigris, reliquis ex luteo, viridi, et rubro variis, tectricum macula rosea. Rostrum et orbitae incarnata."

Du Tertre's description is as follows:--"He is about as big as a fowl, has the beak and eyes bordered with red. All the feathers of the head, neck and belly are of a violet colour, a little mixed with black and green, shot like the throat of a pigeon. All the upper part of the back is green, strongly washed with brown. Outer primaries black, rest yellow, green and red."

No specimens in collections.

Habitat: Guadaloupe.

AMAZONA MARTINICANA CLARK.

(PLATE 18.)

_Perroquets_ Labat's Voy. aux iles de l'Amér. II p. 214 (1742).

_Amazona martinicana_ Clark, Auk. XXII, p. 343 (1905).

Labat's description reads thus:--"Those of Dominica have some red feathers on the wings, under the throat, and in the tail; all the rest is green (Amazona bouqueti, W.R.). Those of Martinique have the same plumage as the last mentioned, but the top of the head is slate colour with a small amount of red."

No specimen now known.

Habitat: Martinique.

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CONURUS LABATI ROTHSCH.

(PLATE 16.)

_Perriques_ Labat, Voy. aux iles de l'Amér. II p. 218 (1742).

_Conurus labati_ Rothsch. Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 13 (1905); Proc. IV Orn. Congr., p. 202 (1907).

Labat's translated description of this bird is as follows:--"Those of Guadaloupe are about the size of a blackbird, entirely green, except a few small red feathers, which they have on their head. Their bill is white. They are very gentle, loving, and learn to speak easily."

No specimens known.

Habitat: Island of Guadaloupe.

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NECROPSITTACUS MILNE-EDW.

_Necropsittacus_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) XIX, Art. 3, p. 18 (1874).

Milne-Edwards considered _Necropsittacus_ closely allied to the genus _Palaeornis_, and at the same time to show affinities with the _Loriidae_. At the same time the two mandibles were sufficient, in his opinion, to show that this bird belonged to a little generic group standing near _Palaeornis_.

NECROPSITTACUS RODRICANUS (MILNE-EDW.)

_Psittacus Rodricanus_ A. Milne-Edw., Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) VIII, pp. 151-155, pl. 7, ff. 1, 2 (1867).

_Necropsittacus rodericanus_ A. Newt., P.Z.S. p. 41 (1875).

This parrot was described from a portion of the upper mandible by Professor Milne-Edwards, and then was more fully described by Dr. Günther and Sir Edward Newton, who examined a nearly complete skull and other bones.

A manuscript discovered in the Archives of the Ministry of Marine in Paris proves that this bird only became extinct at a not very distant date, it having been seen alive by the writer of the manuscript about the year 1731. In this manuscript the bird was said to have a body considerably larger than a pigeon, with a _very_ long tail and a _very_ large head and bill. Unfortunately the writer does not mention the colour, but adds that the smaller green and blue parrot (_Palaeornis exsul_) was much handsomer; so we can safely assume that our bird was of sombre colouration. It was undoubtedly closely allied to the genus _Palaeornis_. The two following, though much brighter coloured and but scantily described, apparently belong to the same genus.

Habitat: Rodriguez. {62}

NECROPSITTACUS(?) BORBONICUS NOM. NOV.

(PLATE 8.)

This parrot is described by the Sieur D.B. (Dubois) in the following terms:--"Body the size of a large pigeon, green; head, tail and upper part of wings the colour of fire." As he compares it with the other parrots which are true _Palaeornis_, it is evident that this bird must have been a _Necropsittacus_.

This description is the sole evidence we have of the existence of this bird.

Habitat: Bourbon or Réunion.

NECROPSITTACUS(?) FRANCICUS ROTHSCH.

_Necropsittacus francicus_ Rothsch., Proceedings Int. Ornith. Congress 1905, p. 197 (1907).

Original description:--"Head and tail fiery red, rest of body and wings green." We only know this bird from the descriptions in the various "Voyages" to Mauritius in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Habitat: Mauritius.

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MASCARINUS LESSON.

_Mascarinus_ Lesson, Traité d'Orn. p. 188 (1831--A mixture of forms. By elimination the name _Mascarinus_ has been restricted to the Mascarine Parrot).

The generic affinities of this bird have been discussed by various authors. Wagler, Gray, Pelzeln, Hartlaub (1877) and Messrs. A. and E. Newton united it with the Vaza Parrots in the genus _Coracopsis_, Finsch included it, together with the Vazas and the Grey Parrot (_Psittacus erithacus_), in the genus _Psittacus_. Recent authors--Oustalet 1893, W. A. Forbes 1879, and Salvadori (Cat. B. XX, p. 421, 1891)--have admitted a separate genus, _Mascarinus_. This is evidently the proper course, and I agree with W. A. Forbes, Oustalet and Salvadori that its nearest affinities appear to be the genus _Tanygnathus_ rather than _Coracopsis_, and that the place of _Mascarinus_ is among the _Palaeornithinae_ of Salvadori.

The large red bill, with distinctly ridged gonys, concealed nostrils and moderately long, strongly rounded tail, are peculiar characters. The colouration is unique. Only one species is known. {64}

MASCARINUS MASCARINUS (L.)

MASCARINE PARROT.

(PLATE 9.)

"_Perroquets un peu plus gros que pigeons, ayant le plumage de couleur de petit gris, un chaperon noir sur la teste, le becq fort gros, & couleur de feu_" Le Sieur D.B, (Dubois), Voyages aux Iles Dauphine ou Madagascar, et Bourbon ou Mascarenne. p. 172 (1674--"Bourbon ou Mascarenne").

_Psittacus Mascarinus_ Brisson, Orn. IV., p. 315 (1760); Hahn, Orn. Atlas, Papageien p. 54, pl. 39 (1835).

_Psittacus mascarin._ Linnaeus, Mantissa Plantarum, regni animalis appendix p. 524 (1771--"Habitat in Mascarina." Ex Brisson).

_Perroquet Mascarin_ Levaillant, Perroquets II, p. 171, pl. 189 (1805--"Madagascar," errore).

_Mascarinus madagascariensis_ Lesson, Traité d'Orn, p. 189 (1831--"Madagascar," ex Levaillant).

_Coracopsis mascarina_ Wagler, Mon. Psittac. p. 679 (1832); Pelzeln, Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien 1863, p. 934.

_Mascarinus obscurus_ (non _Psittacus obscurus_ L.) Bonaparte, Rev. & Mag. de Zool. 1854 p. 154 (Linnaeus, _Psittacus obscurus_--Syst. Nat. Ed. X, p. 97, 1758, ex Hasselquist M.S.--though identified by himself with the Mascarine Parrot in 1766--Syst. Nat. Ed. XII, I, p. 140--cannot be the same as _P. mascarinus_; the description disagrees entirely, and the bird was described from a specimen probably seen alive by Hasselquist, with uncertain locality. What Linnaeus' _P. obscurus_ was, is difficult to say; if it was not for the long tail, one might consider it a variety of the Grey Parrot).

_Psittacus madagascarensis_ Finsch, Papageien II pp. 306, 955 (1868--Finsch was not acquainted with the history of this Parrot, as he still considered Madagascar to be its home, and wondered why it had not been found there by recent collectors).

_Psittacus madagascariensis_ Pelzeln, Ibis 1873, p. 32.

_Mascarinus duboisi_ W. A. Forbes, Ibis 1879, pp. 304, 305 (figures), 306; Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, Centenaire Mus. d'Hist. Nat. pp. 191-205, pl. I (1893--excellent lengthy account).

_Mascarinus mascarinus_ Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XX, p. 421 (1891--Réunion).

It has been mentioned above that "Le Sieur D.B." (Dubois) described this Parrot clearly in 1674, and that it lived on Réunion, and not on Madagascar. Linnaeus in 1771 (see above) was the first to bestow a scientific name on it, though Brisson had already again described it in 1760. Linnaeus' diagnosis is, as usual, rather poor, and not quite correct[1], but his reference to Brisson leaves no doubt as to what he meant.

This parrot is one of the rarest of extinct birds, only two stuffed specimens being known. One normally coloured specimen is preserved in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, and it is evidently this which has been figured by Daubenton and Levaillant, and in the "Centenaire du Muséum d'Historie Naturelle." From the latter plate my figure has been taken.

The example in Vienna is unfortunately semi-albinistic, there being some white feathers on the back, wings and tail. Another normal individual, however, lived formerly in the Menagerie of the King of Bavaria, where it was depicted by Hahn in 1835. Unfortunately this specimen has not been preserved.

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PALAEORNIS EXSUL NEWTON.

(PLATE 19.)

_Palaeornis exsul_ A. Newton, Ibis 1872, p. 33.

Leguat was the first to mention these parrots as "Perroquets verds et bleus," and that they were wonderfully good to eat and also delightful pets.

Professor Newton's description is as follows: "Female: Of moderate size. General appearance greyish-glaucous, darker above than beneath. From the corner of the mouth proceeds an ill-defined dull black chin stripe, which becomes broader as it passes backward and upward, ceasing somewhat abruptly on reaching the level of the ears. Head, nape and shoulders, upper wing-coverts, and rectrices above dull greyish-glaucous, the blue tinge in which predominates when the bird is seen against the light, and the green when seen in the contrary aspect; the outer rectrices paler. Rump verditer blue. Primaries with their outer, and most part of their inner, webs deep greenish blue, the former with narrow, lighter edges, and the latter broadly bordered with pitch black; shafts and lower surfaces greyish black. Secondaries much the same as the primaries, but of a still deeper shade. Breast dull greyish-glaucous, but lighter than the upper parts and passing on the belly into verditer, which becomes lighter and greener on the vent. Rectrices beneath yellowish grey, darker toward the tips of the longer feathers. Bill black."

The specimen was sent in spirits to Sir Edward Newton in 1871 by Mr. Jenner, the Magistrate of Rodriguez.

The male differs from the female in having the upper mandible crimson, fading into horn at the tip. Top of head more glaucous. Black stripe from nostril to eye. Black chin stripe prolonged almost to meet on nape of neck. Most of primaries with dull black patch on inner webs. Middle secondaries dusky black.

The male was sent to Sir Edward Newton in 1875 by Mr. J. Caldwell.

Total length 16 inches. Wing 7.5 " Tail 8.5 "

Probably almost if not quite extinct. Recent investigations about its status are very desirable.

Habitat: Rodriguez Island. {66}

PALAEORNIS WARDI E. NEWTON.

(PLATE 20.)

_Palaeornis wardi_ E. Newton, P.Z.S. 1867, p. 346 (Seychelles).

The translation of Sir Edward Newton's diagnosis is as follows: "Similar to _P. alexandri_, but with a stouter bill, purple red shoulder patches, and the hind neck without a red band.

"_Adult Male._ Crown of head and throat bluish, cheeks ochraceous green, chin and line round base of mandible black, continued in a stripe from the gape to the hind neck; back and wings grass green; rump brighter; a single wide band (or patch) on the shoulders purplish red; remiges and rectrices deep green washed with blue, the latter yellowish, the former dusky below; belly yellowish green; bill vivid scarlet with paler tip; feet dusky. Total length 16 inches, wings 7.75, tail 9."

Female similar to the male but duller, and with the bill all black, and without the black mandibular stripe.

Formerly abundant on most of the islands in the Seychelles, especially Mahé, but now confined to the little islet of Silhouette, where it will in all probability become extinct. According to E. Newton its name was "Cateau vert."

Habitat: Seychelles Islands. {67}

PALAEORNIS EQUES (BODD).

_Psittaca borbonica torquata_ Briss., Orn. IV p. 328, pl. XXVII f. 1 (1760). (Bourbon.)

_Psittacus alexandri var._ [gamma] Linnaeus, S.N. p. 142 (1766).

_Perruche à collier de l'Isle de Bourbon_ Daubenton, Pl. enl. 215.

_Perruche à double collier_ Buff., Hist. Nat. Ois. VI, p. 143 (1779).

_Alexandrine Parrakeet var. C. Double Ringed Parrakeet_ Latham, Syn. I p. 326 (1781).

_Psittacus eques_ Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 13 (1783).

_Psittacus semirostris_ Hermann, Obs. Zool. p. 125 (1804).

_Psittacus bitorquatus_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 92 (1820).

Rose Ringed Parrakeet var. B. Latham, Gen. Hist. II p. 161 (1822).

_Psittacus bicollaris_ Vieillot, Enc. Meth. III p. 1385 (1823).

_Palaeornis bitorquatus_ Vigors, Zool. Journ. II p. 51 (1825).

_Palaeornis borbonicus_ Bp., Rev. and Mag. Zool. 1854, p. 152. No. 140.

There has been considerable confusion with regard to this parrot. It was first asserted that it occurred on both Bourbon and Mauritius. Then Professor Newton separated the Mauritius bird as _Pal. echo_. Salvadori, however, in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX, p. 442, reunited the Bourbon and Mauritius birds, while quite unaccountably stating only Mauritius as the habitat.

The Abbé Dubois describes this bird as follows: "Green Parrots as large as pigeons having a black collar."

Now the species of _Palaeornis_ from Rodriguez, the Seychelles, and the mainland of Africa are all distinct, and the other land birds of Mauritius are and were different from those of Bourbon. I therefore feel quite certain that Professor Newton is right, and that his _Palaeornis echo_ is distinct from _P. eques_, though, unfortunately, we do not know in which way the two forms differed.

Habitat: Bourbon or Réunion, but now extinct. No specimens known. {68}

PALAEORNIS ECHO NEWTON.

_Palaeornis echo_ Newton, Ibis 1876, p. 284.

_Palaeornis eques_ Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX, p. 442 (1891).

Description of Male: Green, the occiput tinged with bluish; a narrow black stripe from the nostrils to the eyes; broad black mandibular stripes passing down and across the sides of the neck where they meet a pink collar, which is interrupted on the hind neck; under wing-coverts yellowish green; central tail feathers scarcely tinged with bluish; tail below dark yellowish grey; upper mandible red, under mandible almost black with only a brownish tinge in places. Iris yellow. Naked skin round eyes orange. Wing 7.5 inches, tail 8.75 inches, bill 9 inches. The female differs by the absence of the collar, no bluish tint on occiput, and the bill entirely blackish.

It differs from _P. torquatus_ in the incomplete collar, darker green colour and broader tail feathers. This bird is still found in the interior of the island, but is rare and apparently on the verge of extinction.

Habitat: Mauritius.

Three specimens at Tring, four in the British Museum.

{69}

CYANORHAMPHUS ZEALANDICUS (LATHAM.)

_Red Rumped Parrakeet_ Latham, Syn. I, p. 249, No. 50 (1781).

_Psittacus novae seelandiae_ Gmelin (nec. Sparrm.), S.N. I, p. 328, No. 83 (1788).

_Psittacus zealandicus_ Latham, Ind. Orn. I, p. 102, No. 58 (1790).

_Psittacus novae-zealandiae_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 44, var. 1 (1820).

_Psittacus erythronotus_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 45, No. 67 (1820).

_Psittacus pacificus_ var. No. 3, Vieillot, Enc. Méth., p. 1387 (1823).

_Platycercus pacificus_, part. Vigors, Zool. Journ. I, p. 529 (1825).

_Platycercus erythronotus_ Stephens, Gen. Zool. XIV., p. 129, No. 9 (1826).

_Conurus phaeton_ Des Murs, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 449.

_Platycercus phaeton_ Des Murs, Icon. Orn. pl. 16 (1845).

_Cyanorhamphus pacificus_ Bonaparte, Rev. et. Mag. 1854, p. 153, No. 184.

_Cyanorhamphus erythronotus_ Gray, Hand-list II, p. 140, No. 8029 (1870).

_Cyanorhamphus forsteri_ Finsch, Papag. II, p. 270 (1868).

This bird has received a variety of names owing to the adult bird being very different to the younger and quite young birds. _Adult_, forehead black; stripe from lores passing through eye almost to hind-neck scarlet; rump scarlet; back and breast dull green; cheeks, head, neck, belly, under-tail coverts and wing coverts, bright green. Flight-feathers blue on outer, brown on inner, webs; bend of wing blue; tail feathers blue, edged with green.

_Young_ differs in having a dull bluish-black forehead, brownish head, back mixed brown and green, rump and eye stripe chestnut red, and the underside greyish green.

This species was confined to the Society Islands, where it was obtained during Cook's Voyage by Ellis and by Forster, and lastly by Lieutenant de Marolles in 1844. We only know for certain at the present day of the existence of two specimens, one in the British Museum, ex Massena collection, whose origin is doubtful, and one in Paris, collected by Lieutenant de Marolles. What became of the other two specimens of the latter's collecting, and of Forster's and Ellis' specimens, I cannot say.

Habitat: Society Islands.

Evidently extinct. {70}

CYANORHAMPHUS ULIETANUS (GM.)

_Society Parrot_ Latham, Syn. I p. 250 (1781).

_Psittacus ulietanus_ Gmelin, S.N. I p. 328, n. 85 (1788).

_Platycercus ulietanus_ Vig., Zool. I p. 533, Suppl. pl. 3 (1825).

_Cyanorhamphus ulietanus_ Bonaparte, Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 153, n. 188.

_Platycercus tannaensis_ Finsch, Papag. II, p. 272 (1868).

_Psittacus fuscatus_ Pelz., Ibis 1873, p. 30.

_Adult_: "Olive brown, the head brown-black; rump and basal upper tail-coverts brown-red, the longest upper tail-coverts olive brown like the back; underparts olive-yellow; quills, primary-coverts, under wing coverts and tail-feathers grey; bill black, base of upper mandible grey; feet brown." (Salvadori, Cat. B. XX p. 579). Wing 5.3 inches, bill 0.8 inches, tarsus 0.8 inches, tail 5 inches.

Habitat: Ulietea, Society Islands (fide Latham).

The type from the Leverian Museum is in Vienna, and a specimen from Bullock's collection is in the British Museum. These are the only two specimens known, and as it is now more than a hundred years since anyone has procured a specimen, we may suppose that this is an extinct species. The specimen in Vienna, which I have recently been able to examine, has the head, back, wings, and tail deep umber-brown, the rump dark-crimson, upper tail-coverts olive, underside brownish yellow.

CYANORHAMPHUS SUBFLAVESCENS SALVADORI.

_Parrot from Lord Howe Island_ Phillips, Bot. Bay, p. 225 (1789).

_Cyanorhamphus subflavescens_ Salvadori, Ann. & Mag. (6) VII, p. 68 (1891).

Very similar to _C. cooki_ and _C. saisseti_ and intermediate in size. Above more yellowish than _C. saisseti_, below more greenish, tail shorter than in either of the latter.

This species is believed to be extinct. Last year I received some specimens of a _Cyanorhamphus_ from an inhabitant of Lord Howe's Island, but from subsequent letters these appear to have been collected on Norfolk or Philip Island, and they certainly are _C. cooki_.

Habitat: Lord Howe's Island.

A pair in the British Museum appear to be the only known specimens.

{71}

BUBO(?) LEGUATI NOM. NOV.

_Strix sp._ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX p. 13 (art. 3.) 1874.

Milne-Edwards had only a single tibio-tarsus of this form and described this bone, but refrained from giving it a specific name, though he stated it was probably a small _Bubo_, in the hopes of getting more material.

As, however, we have no further specimens, I think I am justified in naming it after Leguat, who first mentions Owls on Rodriguez. Milne-Edwards' description of this tibio-tarsus is that it equals in length that bone in _Asio accipitrinus_, but was distinguished from the latter by the strong inward curvature and the great development in width of its distal extremity.

_Tibio-tarsus._

Total length 77 mm. Length from the proximal extremity to the top of the peronial ridge 25 " Width at distal extremity 10.5 " Width at proximal extremity 9 " Width of shaft 3.7 "

Habitat: Rodriguez.

{73}

SCOPS COMMERSONI OUST.

_Scops commersoni_ Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat. (8) III, p. 35 fig. 3 (1896).

This owl, I believe, is not a true _Scops_, being much too big, but we must leave it in that genus for the present, as there are no specimens or bones extant, and only Jossigny's drawing to guide us as to its appearance. The first mention of owls on Mauritius was in the year 1606, when Admiral Matlief says that owls were common in the Island. Monsieur Desjardins, in 1837, gave the first accurate description of the bird, of which I here reproduce the translation. "The digits and even the tarsi are not feathered, only on the front portion of these latter one sees some short, stiff feathers running down to a point nearly to the centre. The digits are very strong, they being armed with hooked nails.

The beak is very stout, arched from its base; the upper mandible, which is much longer than the other and covering it, is as if cut square at the point. The nostrils pierce the bill pretty high up in the horny portion. The eyes, of which I could not see the colour, are round, and placed, like in the entire family, in front. They are surrounded by a circle or disc of stiff, thread-like feathers, which is interrupted at the sides. A sort of collar is perceptible on the throat. Two tufts, similar to those of the Eagle Owls and Eared Owls, and very apparent, are behind the eyes and towards the top of the occiput.

The wings are a little longer than the tail, the fourth and fifth primaries being the longest, the third and sixth are shorter, and the second still shorter, being equal to the eighth, and the first is shortest of all. The tail reaches to the end of the digits; it is rounded and not much lengthened: all the retrices are equal in length. The ear-tufts are brown, with some slight buff shading, the discal plumes being white marked with buff. All the upper side is of a dark brown colour, the feathers of the head, the neck and the back are edged with rufous, but not very distinctly so; this rufous colour is more apparent on the scapulars, and some of these even have on the outer web one or two whitish patches surrounded with brown.

The large tail feathers are less brown and more rufous in colour, with lighter rufous marbling mixed with brown.