II
m i
P J P HOTUf HiEMATONOTUS, Gould.
Red-backed* Parrakeet.
P h t ^ c u s hamatmc' C.iuld .md B g , Birds of Australia, Part IV.
B B H H division of thekusf$ai@B continent; it is abundantly
E n H | '’=<r ,tl! 1 ” **S l" 1" n “ ,"uri\!£ fc !it oorthjvard as far as it has yet been
S&filoied; II dyjuffi^ts^Atnjlii- ti u mh i In plains around Adelaide it is
mis I In *ij^ io'w!.Hp in u u lin j igik brings him in contact
m t ly ^ a M B H u jn b t i^., It it* the tree s; and it evidently
p ^ r ^ ^ A . 11 F ‘ v l11' r i m to the,wide and almost
from hyramber, which
Vl'1>in r ii^lv ‘ ‘ J ' 1,1 k S B $ | other p la ^ fw ith which the crops of many
rUvii',vtri shot wrfcffiimLil 11> 3 In tnW j iy njliBggitf, mil uiii^Intriyjui.ijJd&iiotliey parts of
^W id ji, i lu ll ettijTju 11 hnndr,'^ pirihi’d u _< ilu r S n "m id e nils- limb of a Eucabjptw.limge^n close
order along iJK^ll'ujfHrnL1 liol ll^ ^ ^ u c li mini nmjp^prnni pfcil thjemfjo descend Kfaue feeding-ground.
i.,1) ! '. a jip jo n lro f 5. hawk i i rA u ? i.m rns (aii-uJ tin ^ S a i s p c r u n ie i r .n io i jw ^ S i i ilu- ground are
ijji.irdcleriii'iJ hjr'riuii h ig rau aiidjt.u'.t'ijiiirv s and ililoi |gli issimbli il in; im&great mass mnljfiiV over die
•^nj^nd ^iki -t’kivtis 'itjn v are generally mated iijK.j)air^-—.ija e t ia-,il\ .ewrraiui d hi the difference in the
.uilouinijr ol ilu 'i x e s, thericdi i ijl in irk on rlit SBBBgiffiicjrili ippi irmg il the bright sun shines npoa
it^like a spot, of fire.
In^tjie manner of its flockingland the situations it between
^the-members of the genera Euphema and Platycercus; the same remark holds good also with respect to its
'fogm and structure; this facfe.^oweyer;I b§jf%^g^|,edwoyt^iri the observations onpSpgpgenus, an d 'it is
therefore unnecessary to repeat the details here.
This bird h ^ a pleasijjg>w^tlmg note, almost approaching to% spn^(^hich is poured; forth both while
perching on. the%rpnches of the trees and while flying over the plains On the approach of the breeding-
season it^ ^ g e s jin to the forest and separates into pairs; the eggs; whi(mHare white and five or^Mlin
Ayamberj el|w;<fn lines long by eight and a half lines broad, are deposited without any nest in the spouts anti
hollows
9? tbe head, hack of the neck, cheeks and chest emerald-green^ which is lightest on the forehead
gpcp cheeks; back brownish green,; rump s c a r le ttip and u u d e ^ 'su r f^ ^ ^ fS ie shoulder, spurious wing,
and the outer edge of the basal half of the primaries rich ultramarine vb]ue:, the blue of the shoulder above
^.aSSTng^ |p§crr si^phuMj$llow, and forming a conspicuous spot of the in th ^ h ^M 0 o f the
shoulder; greater and lesser wing-coverts an ^ se co n d a fi^ fp ls^ tS ^ ^R ^ J^ jP ^ ^ i^ n o v c rts and two centre
tail-feathers green, passing into blue towards the tip, which is hlackish bro^pAtJbe remainder of the tail-
feathers green at the base, gradually passing into delicate greyish white on the, inper ^vebs- and the tips ;
centre of the abdomen yellow; thighs dull bluish green; under tail-coverts glgyi^h white; bill horn-colour;
fe e t brown; irides pale brown.
The young male of the year differs from the adult in having those parts delihate greenish grey which in
the latter are emerald-green ; in being destitute of the red colouring of the ru^p^ and of the yellow on the
centre of the abdomen; and in having the bases of the secondaries and some of the primaries white.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.,.