J.GoJd SrIPJTart'.dii O/ilh,
NASH E UNA. BRUUOTI„ SahrcuL.
Bruijn’s Pygmy Parrot.
Nasiterm bruijnii, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, vii. pp. 715 (note), 753. sp. 13, pi. xxi. p. 907 (1875).—Sclater,
Ibis, 1876, p. 255—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, x. p. 25. sp. 8 (1877).
T his is the most beautiful of the Pygmy Parrots, and is altogether a lovely little bird. I t seems to have
escaped the observations both o f Dr. Meyer and Signor D’Albertis, but was discovered by the collectors of
Heer Bruijn, whose name is now so famous for the wonderful novelties collected by his means in N orth-western
New Guinea. But I must let Count Salvadori tell the story o f his little favourite, though I here take the
opportunity o f returning him my most cordial thanks for an act o f liberality not easily to be forgotten.
During a recent visit to London he showed me a series o f these Pygmy Parrots ; and on my asking permission
to figure them in the present work he not only acceded to my request, but furnished me with the full
synonymy o f the species, as it is about to be published by him in his work on the ornithology o f the
Moluccan and Papuan Islands.
Concerning Nasiterm bruijnii he writes to m e “This species was discovered by the men employed by
Mr. Bruijn in the Arfak Mountains, where they first obtained a male b ird : afterwards Beccari and Bruijn’s
hunters got some more male specimens, and alsp succeeded in procuring the female. Both sexes have been
described by m e ; and I have seen altogether nine specimens.
“ The males, according as they are more o r less adult, vary a little as regards the red colour of the
pileum and o f the cheeks, being more o r less brilliant on these p a rts ; some (among them the type) have
these parts dull fulvous tinged with rosy r e d : a young bird, not sexed, is like the females, only smaller. The
bill o f this species is very small.
“Nothing is known about the habits o f this the most beautiful species o f the genus Nasiterna; but in all
probability it is found in the mountainous districts only.”
The following description is from Count Salvadori’s MSS.:—
“Male. Green, the feathers narrowly edged with black ; primaries and anterior secondaries blackish, edged
with g r e e n ; wing-coverts black, with rather wide green ed g e s ; pileum, cheeks, and middle o f the under
p arts, with the under tail-coverts bright red, the red pileum changing into brown towards the occiput, and
surrounded by a bright blue band, which, from the nape, encircling the red cheeks, extends down to the
throat, whence it descends on the sides o f the b re a s t: the two middle tail-feathers blue, with a round
black spot near the t i p ; the other rectrices are black, with a red-orange spot on the tip o f the inner web •
the outer tail-feathers have the outer web partly bluish ; bill and feet horny grey.
“ Female. The upper parts g r e e n ; the underparts also green, but inclining to yellowish along the middle
and on the under tail-coverts; pileum bright blue; forehead whitish; cheeks pale reddish, the throat
slightly washed with b lu e ; the wings and the tail as in the m ale ; but the lateral tail-feathers have the spots
a t the tip orange-yellow. Total length 3 7 inches, wing 2 -9 -2 7 , tail 1 -2 -1 1 , bill from the forehead 0-4.”
With regard to the Plate o f this bird I have indulged my memory a little, having seen thousands of
pairs o f not distantly allied species in the space o f as many yards in the interior o f Australia, breeding
in the spouts o f the decayed branches o f the gum-tree. T h e upper pair of birds in this case a re supposed
to be already mated, while the lower pair are represented in the act o f courtship.