The female possesses the orange spot in common with the male, although,
in her case, it is neither so extensive nor so brilliant.
The figures represent a male and a female, on a branch of the Barilla
plant, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA PETROPHILA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA PETROPHILA, _Gould_.
Rock Grass-Parrakeet.
_Euphema petrophila_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 148.
_Rock Parrakeet_, Colonists of Swan River.
Independently of the difference in the colouring of the face of this
species, it differs also from all the other members of the genus in its
habits; for although, like them, it obtains its food on the ground,
feeding on the seeds of the various grasses that grow over nearly the
whole surface of Australia, it is far more partial to rocky situations
than to trees. I have received specimens of this bird from Port Lincoln
in South Australia, but its great stronghold appears to be the western
coast, where it occurs in great numbers on Rottnest and other islands
near Swan River: “Here,” says Mr. Gilbert, “it breeds in the holes of
the most precipitous cliffs, choosing in preference those facing the
water and most difficult of access; and hence it required no slight
degree of exertion to procure examples of the eggs, which, according to
the testimony of the natives, are white and seven or eight in number.
“Its flight is extremely rapid, and at times it mounts to a great height
in the air.”
The sexes are nearly alike in colour and may be thus described:—
Frontal band deep indigo-blue, bounded before and behind with a very
narrow line of dull verditer-blue; lores and circle surrounding the eye
dull verditer-blue; all the upper surface yellowish olive-green; under
surface the same, but lighter, and passing into yellow, tinged with
orange on the lower part of the abdomen; under surface of the shoulder
indigo-blue; a few of the wing-coverts greenish blue; primaries brownish
black on their inner webs, and deep indigo-blue on the outer; two centre
tail-feathers bluish green; the remainder of the feathers brown at the
base on the inner webs, green at the base on the outer webs, and largely
tipped with bright yellow; irides very dark brown; upper mandible dark
reddish brown; sides of the under mandible light yellow, the tip bluish
grey; legs and feet dark brownish grey.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA PULCHELLA: _Wagl._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA PULCHELLA, _Wagler_.
Chestnut-shouldered Grass-Parrakeet.
_Psittacus pulchellus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 96.—Ib. Gen. Zool., vol.
viii. p. 470.—Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 122.—Swains. Zool. Ill.
Birds, 1st Ser. pl. 73.—Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 21.—Kuhl, Nova
Acta, vol. x. p. 50.
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