_Turcosine Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 89.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. ii. p. 185.
_La Perruche Edwards_, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., p. 68, female.
_Psittacus chrysogaster_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 97.
_Orange-bellied Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. 62.—Ib. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 186.
_Orange-bellied Parrakeet_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 468.
_Psittacus Edwardsii_, Bechst. in Lath. Uebers. der Vog., p. 74.
_Nanodes pulchellus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
277.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 118.
_Lathamus azureus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 205.
_Euphema pulchella_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 493 and 542.
All those who have traversed the “bush” in New South Wales will
recognize in this lovely species an old favourite; during my own rambles
my attention was constantly attracted by its beautiful outspread tail
and wings as it rose before me. Its sole food being the seeds of grasses
and of the smaller annuals, it spends much of its time on the ground,
and appears to evince a greater partiality for stony ridges than for the
rich alluvial flats, which is probably owing to the former producing a
greater supply of its favourite food. When flushed it flies off to a
short distance between the trees, perches on some dead branch for a
time, and if impelled by hunger, returns to the ground almost
immediately. I have never seen this species congregated in large flocks
like the _Euphema chrysostoma_ and _E. elegans_; but have either met
with it in pairs, or in small companies of six or eight in number.
I did not succeed in finding a nest of this species, although I doubt
not that during my visit to the district of the Upper Hunter it was
breeding everywhere around me; but Mr. Caley states, on the authority of
the natives, that it lays eight white eggs in the hole of a tree without
any nest but the decayed wood.
The sexes differ so little in colour, that dissection must be resorted
to to distinguish them.
Forehead, stripe over the eye, cheeks, shoulders, and lesser
wing-coverts rich metallic greenish blue; crown of the head, back of the
neck, upper surface and flanks bright olive-green; a bright spot of
chestnut-red at the insertion of the wings; primaries and secondaries
deep blue on their outer webs, and blackish brown on the inner; chest,
centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts rich yellow; four middle
tail-feathers green, the remainder green at the base and largely tipped
with yellow; bill and feet dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, on one of the
grasses of the Upper Hunter.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA SPLENDIDA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
EUPHEMA SPLENDIDA, _Gould_.
Splendid Grass Parrakeet.
_Euphema splendida_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 147.
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