I found the present species plentiful on the banks of the river Torrens,
throughout its whole course, as well as over all the low grassy hills
between that river and the Murray. It was in winter that I visited this
portion of Australia, when I found the adults associated in small groups
of from six to twenty in number; while near the coast, between Holdfast
Bay and the Port of Adelaide, the young in the green dress were
assembled in flocks of hundreds; they were generally on the ground in
search of grass-seeds, and when so occupied would admit of a near
approach: when flushed they merely flew up to the branches of the
nearest tree: it is impossible to conceive anything more beautiful than
the rising of a flock of adults, spreading out their beautiful broad
blue tails and wings, which glittering in the sun present a really
magnificent spectacle.
The note is a loud, piping whistle.
The fully adult male has the crown of the head, lores, sides of the
neck, breast and centre of the abdomen scarlet, passing into dull yellow
on the flanks; cheeks and wing-coverts light lazuline blue; primaries
deep blue, passing into black at the extremity; back of the neck dull
yellow; back black, each feather margined with yellowish buff, some of
the marginations tinged with blue, others with scarlet; rump and upper
tail-coverts dull greenish yellow, the latter sometimes tinged with
scarlet; two centre tail-feathers greenish blue; the remainder deep blue
at the base, gradually becoming lighter until almost white at the tip;
irides brown; bill horn-colour; feet greyish brown.
The figures are those of an adult and an immature bird, in course of
change from the green plumage to that adult dress of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
Pennant’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Pennantii_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 90.
———— _gloriosus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 53.
———— _splendidus_, Shaw, Mus., Lev. pl. 7. p. 27.
_Perruche à large queue_, Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., pls. 78, 79.
_Pennantian Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. i. p. 61; vol. ii. p.
83.—Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 154.—White’s Journ., pl. in pp. 174,
175.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 410. pl. 56.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 131.
_Psittacus elegans_, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 318.—Kuhl, Consp.
Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 55.
_Platycercus Pennantii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
280.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. p. 535. pl. 17.—Selb. in Nat. Lib.
Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 173. pl. 25.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p.
208.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 146.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of
Birds, 2nd edit. p. 66.
_Dulang_ and _Julang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
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