KMCHOGdLOSSliïS •FOB.FHYBO
TRICHOGLOS^IJB PORPHYROCEPHALUS, Diet.
Porphyry-crowned Lorikeet.
Psittacus purpurea, Diet. Phil. Mag. 1832.
Psittaau putpureus, 7*7.
Tnchoglosmsporpbyrocephalus Dm ‘ TrHn-'lT^ujÿ*v»Til j jO , , ,V..i
Pntlacula J§kr Htu linm^d ■'iS jil'supp Le Vaill. Hist, des Pen-., pi. 84.
Kow-ar, Aborigmes of Western Atis|EiHa, " f
This hMldsome Ht*le Lorikeet was firstfb'roùglït before tjie'nytjpf: of the scientific world by Mr. Dietricbsen
at 'the ’- p ^ g ^ . o f i b ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Q â e ^ f heldtOBfctbie 20th o f March 18B T ^ E : ^ i 8 hi howeyer.
E rn s ts as te the na^efjjjien proposed f ^ ^ ^ a report published in the •* Pbâosophicai
£ Mag32™« ” for the same y e a rjU j raMÎf/îh/'ici, s purpurea ; but M f e seventeenth volume of the “ Linnean
’.‘Transactions" it plmed in t h e c a s Tnchoglosms, with'the far more appropriate spécifié
appellation ofporphyrocephahts, which; X therefore retain.
lWplivi v-e’rawnedS]Î0J5^^has’been thus long described, it i^ fltv o ry rar&yh) be seen in
.collections, a fact wbich^ay be accounted f^ ^ th 'e .c irym st'a n c e o f S f J g k n inhabitant of those parts
of Australia with whicjiiwe'have hitherto had^fiftie.intercourse.
I t is-mot found ip JVew^puth Wales, and I do1 ^ ^ g ç oU fe ç tioe r’h a i ^ ^ e e n it in collections from any of
th e eastern parts. Abundant in Soul h \ iïm tU â fÆ ;jimJJjSiiini.Toiis m the white-gum forests of Swan
U iv f r 'V ïiîi ill-pjpkl^hfy the whole9ff'ihe>jpte^oediJte country It is the only species
jjpMhe geuus I bajS? seen from Western a , circumatanceifpch cannot be accounted for, since the
face of the CQunJry is coveted witkttrees of aBBrnp^fharactisr.
M s s ty 'tb e specimens I colfeéted were shot.'during the monthy o fiJm San d H i the neighbourhood
o f Adelaide, and S.QÇne ' ÿ ^ ^ ^ - t h e town itself. It appears to,arrive in this districVat the flowering
season of the Eucalypti, in company with Trichoglossus. Smainsonii, concinnus and pusiUus, a\l'ofwhich may
frequently be seen on the same tree a t one time ;c the incessant clamour kept up b r t p % d c s of these birds
baffles description ; th/t notes of the largerfspaciesfare, however-,’ lii^tingo^lùjble. by their superiority in's
harshness and foudness ; they feed’ together in perleot amity, and it "is ilyjt unusual tt^ ^ c e two or three
Species on the -guyie branch. They are all so remarkably tame, that any number of shots may be fired
amongst them ré s o u t causing the slightest a la rm ftq& y t^ t 'those that are actually wounded Although
Strictly gregarious, they appear torfef always mated in pairs, which ao«^ipfmytach other in their varions
movements among the branches. The whole oirfiing species -ir^pierif 1 v ■hwwc ithe tree simultaneously,
rushing off with amazing quickness in search of other Irct* l.iilèn'.*iÿji^dj^wrapaÆ3 flowers, among
which they dash and commence feeding with the utmost eagerness, rcre.hpinc among thef
branches in every possible attitude. As this tribe ol flirta I tun nib’ •.pkjoog its subsistence upbn the
flowers of the gum-trees, their presence in anyloçaïity would be v ^ ^ so n jW fiw - at any season when those
-trees are not in blossom
The sexes are precisely alilcèj||^sxze and in tlie colouroftheir plumage.
Forehead, lores and ear-coverts yellow, intermingled with scarlet^ crown of the head deep purple ; hack
of the head and neck yellowish green; wing-coverts andrrump^ grass-green ; shoulder Hgbt blue ; under
surface of the wing crimson ; primaries blackish brown, margined externally with deep: green, the extreme
edge being.greenish yellow; tail green above, golden beneath ; throat and under surface greenish grey,
passing into golden green on the flanks and under tail-coverts ; bill black ; irides in some dark brown, in
others light reddish brown, with a narrow ring; of orange round the pupil ; feet bluish flesh-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.