PALiEORNIS CALTHROPA1, Layard.
Mrs. Layard’s Parrakeet.
Palaornis Calthropts, Layard, J. A. S. B., xviii. p. 800.—Souance, Iconogr. Perroq., pi. xliv.—Blyth, Cat. B. Mus.
A. S. B., p. 340.—Layard, Ann. N. H., (2 ) xiii. p. 263.—Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1854, p.
263.—Gray, List Psittac. Brit. Mus., p. 22.—ScM. Mus. P. B., Psittac. p. 83.—Finsch, Papag., ii.
p. 53.—Holdsw. P. Z. S ., 1872, p. 426.—Hume, Str. F., 1874, p. 18.—Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 14.
------------- Girronieri, J. & E. Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1853, p. 195.
viridicollis, Cass. Pr. Philad. Acad., 1853, p. 373.
T his Parrakeet was originally discovered by Mr. E. L. Layard, who writes as follows concerning it:— -“ My first
acquaintance with this lovely bird was at Kandy, where I killed a male and female at one shot, from a flock
flying over my head. I took them for the common P . torquatus until I picked them u p ; and then great was
my delight to find such an elegant new species. It proves to be the common Parrakeet o f the hilly z o n e ;
and I have traced it in all parts o f it. It feeds on berries, and seeks them on the very summits o f the trees.
When a flock is occupied in feeding, every bird is as silent as the g ra v e ; and so difficult are they then to
be distinguished, that, though I have sometimes marked a flock into a tree, I have stood for ten minutes and
could not perceive a single bird, though aided by the keen eyes o f my fidus Achates, Muttu, and perhaps
three or four natives: suddenly, with one consent, away would go the whole flock with a scream which
almost deafened one. The natives tell me it breeds in hollow trees, and lays two white roundish eg g s.”
Mr. Holdsworth, in his well-known ‘ Catalogue o f Ceylonese Birds,’ observes:— “ It was first obtained by
Layard in Kandy, where it is frequently numerous, and it is said to be generally distributed over the hills.
Although recorded by Kelaart from Nuwara Elliya, I suspect this beautiful bird is only a rare visitor to that
cool region, as I have never seen a Parrot o f any kind at that elevation, and I have always been on the lookout
for this species in particular.”
More recently Mr. Vincent Legge has sent the following note to ‘ The Ib is : ’—
“ Layard’s Parrakeet is more abundant in the Morowa-Korle and the Leori-King forests than auywhere
else in the island, and, like most o f the Ceylon birds, ranges down to a lower elevation here than in other
parts. I found it a few months ago in great numbers in the intermediate valleys o f the Gindurah river at a
height o f only 2 0 0 or 3 0 0 feet above the sea. They are very fond o f thick groves in the forests, and in the
morning, when feeding on their favourite fruits and berries, are very tam e ; towards evening they become
very restless, and are constantly on the wing, settling in little flocks on the tops o f the highest trees.”
Head blue-grey, deeper and slightly more purple on the sides o f the same and ear-coverts, which shade
off again into black on the ch e ek s; forehead and sides o f face, including lores and feathers round the eye,
bright green ; round the hind neck a collar o f bright emerald green ; back yellowish g r e y ; lower back and
rump dull purplish blue, the tail much deeper, each feather yellowish green towards the tip o f the inner w eb ;
wings bright grass-green, the least ones washed with purplish blue, the outermost ones and the greater series
dark green, the primary coverts especially deeply coloured; quills blackish, the primaries dark indigo-blue
on outer web, bordered externally with green, the secondaries brighter green, like the greater wing-coverts;
entire under surface o f body bright green, including the under wing-coverts, the greater series o f the latter
dark grey, like inner lining o f w in g ; under surface o f tail yellowish.
Mr. Hume, who has a large series, writes as fo llow s:— “ The adults o f both sexes are nearly alike; but
in the male the upper mandible is bright red, pale yellowish horny towards the tip, where it is abraded. The
lower mandible is a pale brown or reddish brown, yellowish horny towards the margins where abraded. In
the adult female the upper mandible is invariably black, or nearly so, the lower mandible similar to that o f
the male, but duskier and darker. In the female, also, the narrow frontal band, lores, and orbital region are
a duller and paler green than in the male. The young o f both sexes entirely want the black mandibular
stripe, and all the grey or blue-grey which characterizes the heads o f the adults in both s e x e s ; the whole
head is green, the cap defined by an indistinct brighter green collar. The upper mandible in both sexes in
the young is red, at any rate if Mr. Vincent Legge and others have correctly sexed the specimens o f young
they sent me, as I entertain no doubt they have.”
The figures are o f the size o f life.