GEOFFBÖYIUS HETEBOCUTUS,(Pambr.kJaof)
JGnMsWJbrtU etlteh'
GEOFFROYIUS HETEROCLITUS, Hombr. * j aCq.
Yellow-headed Parrot.
Psittacus geoffrayi heteroclitus, Hombr. et Jacq. Ann. Sei. Nat. xvi. p. 3 1 9 (1841).
Psillacus heteroclitus, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 421, no. 8 (1846).—Id. List Psittacidæ, Brit. Mus. p. 7 3 (1869).—
Id. List Birds Tropical Islands of the Pacific Ocean, p. 34 (1869).—Id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 160
no. 8277 (1870),
Pitme heteroclite, Hombr. et Jacq. Yoy. Pôle Sud, pl. 25 bis, figs. 1, 2 (1842-63).
Pionus hétéroclites, Jacq. et Pucher. Voy. Pôle Sud, iii. p. 103 (1853).
Pionu8 cyaniceps, Jacq. et Pucher. Voy. Pôle Sud, texte, iii. .p. 106 (1853).
Geoffroyius heteroclitus, Bonap. Rer. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 155.—Souancé, op. cit. 1856, p. 218.—Sclater,
P. Z. S. 1869, p. 122.—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Cir, Genov. x. p. 30 (1877).
Geoffroyius cymiceps, Bonap. Rer. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 155.—Sclater, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 107.
Pionias heteroclitus, Pinsch, Papageien, ii. p. 390 (1868).
T h i s beautiful Parro t is so rare in collections, th at when D r. Finsch wrote his celebrated work on the
Psittacidse he had not seen an example; and it is only within the last year th at I h are had the pleasure of
examining it myself. The original specimens were three in number, and were brought from the islands of
St. George and Ysahel in the Solomon group by the French Expedition to the South Pole. More recently
it has been rediscovered by Mr. George Brown in New Britain, as recorded by D r. Sclater I. c . ; and I
am indebted to this gentleman for the loan o f the specimen from which my Plate has been drawn.
When discovered by MM. Hombron and Jacqninot, a second form with a blue head was also procured,
which these naturalists considered to be the female o f the yellow-headed bird. Dr. Pucheran, in his
account o f the birds procured by the expedition, thought otherwise— and believing th at the blue-headed
specimen was a distinct species, named it Pionus cyaniceps-, but Dr. Finsch agreed with the first opinion,
and made it the female o f G. heteroclitus. I am unable to say for certain whether this is right o r wrong,
as I have not yet seen more than one example o f the blue-headed form. Becently Dr. Sclater has considered
it probable th at there are two species inhabiting the New-Ireland g ro u p ; as, however, Mr. Brown has lately
seut over the yellow-headed and blue-headed specimens figured by me, I incline to the opinion th at they
a re the same species.
T he colouring o f this species is so very distinct, th at the figures in the Plate will serve to distinguish
it from all its allies. Dr. Finsch places it in the genus Pionias, along with a great many American and
African species, which, according to my views, belong to distinct genera (Prioniturus, Pceocephalus, &c.).
But taking his comprehensive view o f Pionias, the present species belongs to the first section, with green
under tail-coverts, sky-blue under wing-coverts, and blackish wing-lining. Its yellow head and cheeks,
coupled with the blue band round the neck, are sufficient to distinguish it a t a glance.
As before mentioned, the specimens here figured were from Mr. George Brown’s third collection. The
principal figure is o f the size o f life ; and a slightly reduced figure is placed in the back-ground, and is
supposed to be th at o f a young female.