Part 6

If my readers wish to form an idea of the scenery of Australia, they must imagine a country the climate of which is second to no other, clothed with flowering trees and shrubs of the greatest beauty, and enlivened with flocks of hundreds of the attractive bird figured on the accompanying Plate, and numerous other members of the genus of equal beauty, together with the fire-breasted Robins, the lovely _Maluri_, with their resplendent metallic plumage, and many more of the feathered tribes conspicuous for the brilliancy of their hues and the elegance of their forms: they will then have some slight conception of the enchanting scene which it presents.

Like most other members of the genus, the _Platycercus icterotis_ offers no difference in the colouring of the sexes of the same age. They do not acquire the adult plumage until the second year; during the first year they are green, which colour gradually gives place to the fine colouring of maturity.

Its flight is of short duration, and consists of a series of rather rapid undulating sweeps.

Its note is a feeble, piping kind of whistle, which is occasionally so much varied and lengthened as almost to assume the character of a song.

The eggs, which are six or seven in number and of a white colour, are eleven lines long and nine and a half lines broad; they are deposited in the holes of large trees without any nest.

Crown of the head and back of the neck, chest and all the under surface scarlet; cheeks and thighs yellow; feathers of the back black, bordered with green, yellow, and in some instances scarlet; rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish green; shoulders and outer edges of the primaries blue, the inner webs and tips of the latter blackish brown; two middle tail-feathers green; the remaining feathers light blue tipped with white, with the basal portion of a darker blue tinged with green; bill light horn-colour; feet and legs dull ashy brown; irides blackish brown.

The young birds of both sexes are nearly of a uniform green, becoming parti-coloured as they advance in age; the scarlet of the crown and abdomen, and the yellow of the cheeks gradually taking the place of the green colouring of youth.

It is questionable whether the female, like the female of _P. eximius_, ever attains the fine plumage of the male.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.

PLATYCERCUS IGNITUS, _Leadb._ Fiery Parrakeet.

_Platycercus ignitus_, Leadb. in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8.

In the year 1837 Mr. John Leadbeater received from the district of Moreton Bay a beautiful Parrakeet, of which the accompanying Plate is a representation. This specimen, the only one I have seen, is the most singular and anomalous bird that has ever come under my notice; for while on the one hand it exhibits many features which would lead one to believe it to be merely a diseased variety of some other species, on the other there is sufficient decision in some of its markings to warrant the opinion that it is distinct; I allude particularly to the decided mark of white at the base of the primaries and secondaries, and to the white mark on the under-coverts of the wing: it is true that in the youthful state of most of the other _Platycerci_ the same parts have a faint mark of white, but it is thrown off as the bird approaches maturity, and is never so distinct as in the specimen here figured. As I have mentioned above, only one specimen has yet been seen; future research will doubtless lead to the discovery of others, until when its specific value must remain a matter of uncertainty. It is most nearly allied to the _Platycerci eximius_ and _splendidus_.

The example from which my figures were taken adorns the Museum of the Zoological Society of London, to which it was presented by Mr. John Leadbeater.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, rump, breast and under surface of the body scarlet; cheeks white; feathers of the back black in the centre, and margined with intermingled scarlet and yellow; middle of the wing deep blue; primaries and secondaries white at the base, forming a very broad and decided band, and brown at the tip; tertiaries green; four middle tail-feathers washed with scarlet, the remainder white at the base, and then blue, gradually fading into white at the tip; bill yellowish horn-colour; feet dark brown.

The figures represent the bird in two positions of the natural size.

PLATYCERCUS BROWNII, _Vig. and Horsf._ Brown’s Parrakeet.

_Psittacus Brownii_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 119.

_Psittacus venustus_, Kuhl, Nov. Acta, vol. x. p. 52.

_Brown’s Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 139.

_Platycercus Brownii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 282.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 20.

_Mȍon-dark?_ Aborigines of Port Essington.

_Smutty Parrot_, Residents at ditto.

This is a very abundant species on the northern and north-western coast of Australia, inhabiting grassy meadow-like land and the edges of swamps, mostly feeding on the ground upon the seeds of grasses and other plants, sometimes single or in pairs, but more frequently in families of from ten to twenty in number. It frequently utters a rapid succession of double notes resembling ‘_trin-se trin-se_.’ Its flight is low, somewhat rapid and zigzag, seldom farther prolonged than from tree to tree. Specimens of this bird given me by my friends Captain Grey and Mr. Bynoe from the north-west coast differ somewhat in plumage from those killed on the Cobourg Peninsula, the concentric bands on the breast are much finer, the extreme margins only of the feathers being black; I have one specimen also with the whole of the crown of the head of a deep blood-red, and others with more or less of this colour. That this kind of plumage is unusual is proved by the fact of numerous specimens from Port Essington not exhibiting it, and had I not seen others from the north-west with black crowns (with the exception of the band across the forehead), I should have regarded as specific what I now look upon as a mere local variety, or possibly a very old bird.

This beautiful species has been named after Dr. Robert Brown, as a just tribute of respect for the high reputation he has attained as a scientific botanist.

Crown of the head, lores and ear-coverts deep black; cheeks snow-white, bounded below with blue; breast and rump pale yellow, each feather slightly fringed with black; feathers of the back deep black, with a broad margin of pale yellow; wing-coverts, outer webs of the secondaries and base of the primaries rich blue, inner webs of the primaries and secondaries deep black; under tail-coverts scarlet; centre tail-feathers green at the base, passing into blue on the margins and at the tip; lateral feathers deep blue at the base of the outer webs, brown at the base of the inner webs, and then pale blue terminating in white, with black shafts; irides blackish brown; bill light horn-colour, passing into blue at the base; legs and feet blackish brown.

Young birds are similar in colour, but have all the markings dull and indistinct; as the individual approaches to maturity the breast becomes ornamented with a number of crescent-shaped markings of black and pale yellow, and as the bird advances in age the yellow increases in extent and the black nearly disappears.

The three figures in the Plate represent two males and a female; the crimson-headed bird drawn from a specimen collected on the north-west coast, and the other male from one procured at Port Essington; they are all of the natural size.

PLATYCERCUS PILEATUS, _Vig._ Red-capped Parrakeet.

_Platycercus pileatus_, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. v. p. 274.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pls. 21 and 22.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 491 and 528.

_Psittacus purpureocephalus_, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, pl. 22.

_Djȁr-rail-bȕr-tang_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

_Blue Parrot_ of the Colonists.

The _Platycercus pileatus_ differs so much in the colouring of its plumage from every other species of the great family of Parrots, as to render it one of the most remarkable yet discovered; in the form and structure of its bill there is also a remarkable deviation from the true _Platycerci_, and it will probably be hereafter found that this modification of its form is adapted to some especial purpose, in which case this bird might with propriety constitute the type of a separate genus; in the absence, however, of all information respecting its habits and economy, I prefer retaining it in the genus in which it was placed by Mr. Vigors, its first describer.

The Red-capped Parrakeet is an inhabitant of Western Australia, where it is rather numerously dispersed over the country from King George’s Sound to the northern limits of the colony. It is usually seen in small families feeding on the ground, but upon what particular kind of food it subsists has not been ascertained. The breeding-season extends over the months of October, November and December. The hollow dead branch of a gum- or mahogany-tree is the place usually chosen by the female for the reception of her eggs, which are milk-white and from seven to nine in number, about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths of an inch broad. The young during the first year of their existence are of nearly uniform green; at the same time, the hues which characterize the adult are perceptible at almost any age.

The females are never so finely marked as the males, neither are they so large or so gracefully formed.

The flight of this species, although swift, is not of long duration, nor is it characterized by those undulating sweeps common to the other members of the genus _Platycercus_.

Its voice is a sharp clucking note, several times repeated, in which respect it also offers a marked difference from the other _Platycerci_.

Forehead, crown and nape deep maroon red; cheeks yellowish green, becoming more yellow on the sides of the neck; back, scapularies and greater wing-coverts deep green; rump jonquil-yellow; edge of the shoulder, spurious wing and base of the outer webs of the primaries rich deep blue; remainder of the primaries and the secondaries deep black; breast and abdomen blue; vent and under tail-coverts scarlet; two centre tail-feathers yellowish green, deepening into black at the tip and crossed by indistinct bars of a darker tint; lateral feathers green at their base, passing into black on their inner webs, and into pale blue on the outer, both webs becoming blue towards the extremity of the feather, and fading into white at the tip; irides dark brown; bill horn-colour; legs and feet dull brown.

The Plate represents an adult male and female of the natural size.

PSEPHOTUS HÆMATOGASTER, _Gould_. Crimson-bellied Parrakeet.

_Platycercus hæmatogaster_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 89.

This species of Parrakeet is an inhabitant of the interior of New South Wales, where it frequents the borders of the rivers Namoi and Darling; in all probability its range extends far to the northward; but, so far as is yet known, it has never been found in Southern or Western Australia; I met with it in tolerable abundance in the neighbourhood of the Lower Namoi, where it appeared to give a decided preference to those parts of the plains which were of a loose mouldy character, and with which the colour of its back so closely assimilates as to be scarcely distinguished from it. Like the other members of the family, it is mostly observed in small flocks, and occasionally in pairs, feeding upon the seeds of the various grasses abounding on the plains. It is only when the bird after a short flight alights on the branches, that the splendid scarlet of the belly, relieved by the yellow of the sides, is seen to advantage; when thus seen, however, it is a truly beautiful object, and is scarcely excelled by any other species of the group.

I did not ascertain any particulars respecting its nidification, but we may easily suppose that it breeds in the districts above mentioned, as I met with it there in the height of the summer.

The male has the forehead and face ultramarine blue; crown of the head, upper surface, sides of the neck and the chest greyish olive-brown, washed with yellow on the rump and upper tail-coverts; lesser wing-coverts mingled verditer-green and blue; greater coverts rich reddish chestnut; basal half of the external webs of the primaries and secondaries, and edge of the wing rich indigo-blue; under surface of the shoulder light indigo-blue; inner webs and tips of the primaries dark brown; apical half of the external web of the primaries fringed with grey; two centre tail-feathers light olive-green, passing into deep blue at the tip; the remainder deep blue at the base, largely tipped with white, the blue gradually blending with the white on the external web; upper part of the abdomen and flanks primrose-yellow; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson-red; irides dark brown; nostrils and feet mealy brown; bill horn-colour.

The female differs in being smaller, and in being much less brilliant in all her markings.

The figures represent the two sexes the size of life.

PSEPHOTUS PULCHERRIMUS, _Gould_. Beautiful Parrakeet.

_Platycercus pulcherrimus_, Gould in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. xv. p. 114.

The graceful form of this new Parrakeet, combined with the extreme brilliancy of its plumage, render it one of the most lovely of the _Psittacidæ_ yet discovered; and in whatever light we regard it, whether as a beautiful ornament to our cabinets, or a desirable addition to our aviaries, it is still an object of no ordinary interest.

I regret to say that little is at present known respecting it, further than that it is one of the novelties that has rewarded Mr. Gilbert’s researches in New South Wales; the upland grassy plains of the east coast of Australia being the locality in which it was first discovered, and which is in fact the only part of the country wherein it has as yet been found. The specimens procured were shot on the Darling Downs, where it was observed in small families feeding on the seeds of grasses and other plants growing on the plains; the stomachs of those examined were fully distended with grass seeds exclusively.

The sexes, like the generality of the _Psittacidæ_, are much alike; but the female, although similarly marked, is much less brilliant and somewhat smaller than her mate.

Band across the forehead half an inch in breadth, scarlet, fading around the eyes, lores and cheeks into pale lemon-yellow, which again gradually blends with the green of the under surface; crown of the head and nape blackish brown; sides of the neck to the shoulders verdigris-green with yellowish reflexions; back greyish brown; rump and upper tail-coverts verditer-blue, the longer coverts with a band of black at their extreme tip; primaries and secondaries black edged with bluish green; shoulders with a spot of rich vermilion; under wing-coverts and edges of the pinions verditer-blue; two middle tail-feathers olive-brown at the base, gradually passing into greenish blue at the tip with olive reflexions; the three outer feathers on each side with a narrow zigzag band of black at about half their length from the base, then greenish blue to the tip, the inner webs fading into white near the extremity; throat and chest yellowish emerald-green, each feather tipped with verditer-blue; middle of the breast and the sides verditer-blue; abdomen and under tail-coverts scarlet; irides dark brown; bill horn-colour, becoming blackish grey at the base; legs and feet yellowish brown.

The figures are of the natural size.

PSEPHOTUS MULTICOLOR. Many-coloured Parrakeet.

_Psittacus multicolor_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 119.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 55.

_Varied Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 182.

_Platycercus multicolor_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 283.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. p. 528.

This species is strictly an inhabitant of the interior of Australia, being-found on the banks of the Lachlan, Murray and Darling, and according to the label attached to the specimen in the Sydney Museum, the neighbourhood of the Pink Hills. It is a true _Psephotus_ and is closely allied to _P. hæmatonotus_, but differs from that and every other species of the genus in the patches or bands of colour which ornament the head, wings and rump; it is a species I did not meet with myself, and of which no information has been given by those travellers who have visited its native wilds; consequently nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy; it is still a rare bird, and to be found in few collections.

Much variation is found to exist in the colouring of this bird; some individuals having the band across the wing-coverts bright yellow, while in others the same part is tinged with red.

The adult male has the forehead and shoulders sulphur-yellow; under tail-coverts citron-yellow; rump crossed by three distinct bands of yellowish green, dark green, and reddish chestnut; occiput reddish chestnut; base of the primaries, secondaries and spurious wing, and the under wing-coverts rich deep blue; lower part of the abdomen and thighs scarlet; middle tail-feathers blue; the outer ones bluish green, passing into very pale blue at their tips; all the tail-feathers, except the four middle ones, crossed by a band of black near the base; remainder of the plumage deep grass-green; bill horny brown; legs wood-brown.

The female is attired in a similar style of colours, but is much less brilliant, has the throat and breast yellowish brown, and only an indication of the bands on the occiput and wing-coverts.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.

PSEPHOTUS HÆMATONOTUS, _Gould_. Red-backed Parrakeet.

_Platycercus hæmatonotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 151; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.

This species inhabits the interior of the south-eastern division of the Australian continent; it is abundantly dispersed over the Liverpool Plains, and all the open country to the northward as far as it has yet been explored; it also inhabits similar tracts of country in South Australia; on the plains around Adelaide it is seldom seen, but as the traveller advances towards the interior every succeeding mile brings him in contact with it in greater numbers. It is more frequently seen on the ground than among the trees; and it evidently gives a decided preference to open grassy valleys and the naked crowns of hills, than to the wide and almost boundless plain. During winter it associates in flocks, varying from twenty to a hundred in number, which trip nimbly over the ground in search of the seeds of grasses and other plants, with which the crops of many that were shot were found to be distended. In the early morning, and not unfrequently in other parts of the day, I have often seen hundreds perched together on some leafless limb of a _Eucalyptus_, sitting in close order along the whole length of the branch, until hunger prompted them to descend to the feeding-ground, or the approach of a hawk or other enemy caused them to disperse. Their movements on the ground are characterized by much grace and activity, and although assembled in one great mass running over the ground like Plovers, they are generally mated in pairs,—a fact easily ascertained by the difference in the colouring of the sexes; the rich red mark on the rump of the male appearing, as the bright sun shines upon it, like a spot of fire.

In the manner of its flocking and the situations it frequents, this bird is directly intermediate between the members of the genera _Euphema_ and _Platycercus_; the same remark holds good also with respect to its form and structure; this fact, however, I have pointed out in the observations on the genus, and it is therefore unnecessary to repeat the details here.

This bird has a pleasing whistling note, almost approaching to a song, which is poured forth both while perching on the branches of the trees and while flying over the plains. On the approach of the breeding-season it retires into the forest and separates into pairs; the eggs, which are white and five or six in number, eleven lines long by eight and a half lines broad, are deposited without any nest in the spouts and hollows of the gum-trees.

Crown of the head, back of the neck, cheeks and chest emerald-green, which is lightest on the forehead and cheeks; back brownish green; rump scarlet; tip and under surface of the shoulder, spurious wing, and the outer edge of the basal half of the primaries rich ultramarine blue; the blue of the shoulder above passing into sulphur-yellow, and forming a conspicuous spot of the latter colour in the centre of the shoulder; greater and lesser wing-coverts and secondaries bluish green; upper tail-coverts and two centre tail-feathers green, passing into blue towards the tip, which is blackish brown; the remainder of the tail-feathers green at the base, gradually passing into delicate greyish white on the inner webs and the tips; centre of the abdomen yellow; thighs dull bluish green; under tail-coverts greyish white; bill horn-colour; feet brown; irides pale brown.

The young male of the year differs from the adult in having those parts delicate greenish grey which in the latter are emerald-green; in being destitute of the red colouring of the rump, and of the yellow on the centre of the abdomen; and in having the bases of the secondaries and some of the primaries white.

The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.

EUPHEMA CHRYSOSTOMA, _Wagl._ Blue-Banded Grass-Parrakeet.

_Psittacus chrysostomus_, Kuhl, Consp. in Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 58, pl. 1.

_Psittacus venustus_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 121.

_Blue-banded Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 188.

_Nanodes venustus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 274.—Selby, Nat. Lib. Parrots, p. 172, pl. 27.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Zool., vol. xiv. p. 118, pl. 15.—Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 305.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.

_Euphema chrysostoma_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. pp. 492, 544, and 707.