PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
Pennant’s Parrakeet.
Psittacus Pennantii, Lafh- l a d . 90.
gloriosus, S h aw , î^ a t. p i. 53.
5 5 g â f splendidus, S h aw,"M u s., Lev. p i. 7. p . 27.
Perruche à large queue, L e À p a ^TW . p]s, £8 , 79.
P.eimaniian Parrot L a tü ; <~m S u p p ., v ol. I .„ 1 ll p . 8 3 .—EM I. B o t. B ay , pL in p . 154.—W h ite 's
-‘» 3 'j yjJL'j. . 1 V 1 7 4 ,1 7 >.—Sh aw, <Gen. Z e d v o l- tii^ 'p 4 '1 0 .p i 5 6 — L a th . Gen. H is t.,v o l. ii.p . 131.
Psitta cu s d e ,m i GmèJ S: i N it., to] i. p.; 3 ï8 :f^E ùK l, Gonsp. P s itt r n N r n i A c ta , toI x . p 55.
flàiÿcjfgsPeimantii, Vig . an d H o rsf. in L in n . T ra n s ., vol. x v p 280 —'Wag l. Mon. P s itt, in Ab h an d . p . 535.
ÿ a j # ! 7 — ’. # 1 W NiKAjffi (3m ., voL i. I'a r ro ls , p. l‘7 3 ..p l. 25.—Less. T r a ité d ’O rn ., p . 2 0 8—Lesa.
M ui c' ( jm gB .i-j <‘r i f . l i s t o fJ J e n ^ p f-B ird s , 2s d e d it. p . 66.
Dulang a n d Julang, A b o rig in e s o f N e ^ S o u tp .W a le s .
T his beautiful bird is very generally dispersed over New South Wales, where i t inhabits grassy hills and
;;b ^ sbes|;®rij%Jariy those of the Liverpool range and all similar districts. Its food consists of berries
and the seeds of various grasses>to ^ ^ ^ ^ lii c I i i^fespends in small companies MbM bases of the Bills and
to the open glades; I have often flushed it from sugli situations, and when six or eight rose together
with outspread tails of beautiful pale blue, offering a decided contrast to the rich scarletlivfiryof the body,
I could never fail to pause and admire the ..splendour o f f i r appearance, o f which no description can give
an adequate i ^ g t h e Platycerci J>e s e e ^ g t h ^ native ’ wilds before their plentiful appearance
can be appreciated, or the interesting nature of their habits at all understood. Although I have stated
that New South Wales is the t r u e ^ p |f t% f this b i r d ; ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ t fall to record that individuals have come
under my notice which had been killed in.‘Norfolk Island; I am led to believe, however, that the bird must
have been taken thither from New South Wales, and that a sufficient number had either escaped or been
„let loose to establish a breed. The habitats of the various Blapycerci .are generally very restricted; it is not
probably therefore that the range of this species extends to an island several hundred miles distant from
the main land; how far it may range 'along the south coa.st, ~or to the eastward and northward of New
South Wales, I have never satisfactorily ascertained; I have seen it from Kangaroo Island, but I never met
with it iri/ the^belts of the ^Murray, or£|h iauy of the forests ro u n ^ Adelaide, ~jts place in that part of the
counfryf peing supplied by the Platycercus Adelaidice.
- As I have said, the food of this species-principally consists of berries and grass-seeds, but insects appear
occasionally to form a part o f® J ie t, as I found the §rpp Jilt spedinen filled with small caterpillars • it
was, however, a solitary ^ g | ^ e n & ^ p
Like the other members of the genus, the Platycercus Pennant,ii r |^ ^ ^m m f e b |e r the ground, But its
flight is neither rapid nor enduring. In disposition it is. tame and destitute of distrust, and as a pet for the
aviary or a cage, few birds can exceed it in interest or beauty; consequently »it is one of the commonest of
the living parrakeets sent from Australia to this country.
I t breeds in the ^h^les o f the large gum-trees, generally selecting those on the hill-sides within the
brushes; and of s|ydJ 'situations, the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range appear to be a favourite
locality. The months of September, October and November constitufeihe breeding season. It makes no
nest, but deposits its eggs, which are white, ^|M^t aii inch and two lines long), eleven and a half lines broad,
and from four to seven* imnumbeh ppipha- rotten wood- Atf the bottom of the hole.
The colouring of the sexes when fully adult is alike, but much variation exists between youth and maturity;
during the first autumn the young birds are clothed in a plumage of a nearly uniform green; to this succeeds
a parti-coloured livery of scarlet, bhie apd green, which colouring is contimiallv^ changing until the
full plumage of maturity is assumed; and hence h^?.arisen.no little confusion respecting this species in the
writings of the ol.der ornithologists, and it is not to be wondered at that its synonyms^are ho numerous.
The\ adult male has-the head, neck, all the under! surface, tjie rump and upper tail-coverts rich deep
crimson-red; the feathers of the ‘back and scapularics black, broadly margined with rich crimson-red; the
cheeks and shoulders coerulean blue; the greater wing-coverts pale blue; the primaries and secondaries
black, with the basal half of their; external ,^ebs margined with deep blue; the two centre tail-feathers
green, passing intpvbliie on their margins and at the tip ; the remainder black on the inner webs for three-
fourths of their length; deep blue for ueMly the same length on their outer webs, and largely tipped on
both webs with pale blue, which becomes still paler to the tips .of the feathers^. bill horn-colour; hides
very dark brown; feet blackish brown* *
The young vary so much, that to give an accurate description is almost impossible; one now before m e
has the crown of the head, sides of the neck, centre of the breast, abdomen, rump, upper and under tail-
coverts deep crimson-red; the upper surface and a broad band across the breast deep grass-green; the
cheeks, wings and tail similar to those plirts^^pne adult, but much less brilliant.
The Plate represents an adult and an Imm^ura bird of th^patiiral s jz e t^ j;