TRICHOGLOSSUS MU S SC H EN B ROE KI I.
Van Musschenbroek’s Lorikeet.
Nanodes musscheniroekii, Schlegel, Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde, iv. p. 34 (1873).—Id. Mus. d.
P.-B., Revue Psittaci, p. 52 (1874).
Trichoglossus musscheniroekii, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 697.—Finsch, in Rowley’s Orn. Misc. p a rt v. p. 61,
pi. xliv. (1876).
Neopsittacus musscheniroekii, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, vii. p. 761 (1875).
P ro fe s s o r Schlegel describes this species in the following manner:— “ M. von Rosenberg has ju st forwarded
us, under the title o f Nanodes musschenbroekii, three adult individuals o f a species o f Nanodes new to science.
These comprise two females and a male, all exactly resembling each other, and collected in April 1870 in the
interior o f the north-western peninsula o f New Guinea. T h e species is naturally allied to N.placens and N.
rubrinotutus; but it is distinguished a t the first glance by its larger size and by the very sensible modifications
in the distribution o f its colours.”
Nothing more was recorded concerning the species until D’Albertis brought back examples from Atam ;
and since then Count Salvadori has received it from Mount Arfak. In recording the last-named occurrence
Count Salvadori makes it the type o f a new genus, on account, as he says, of its differently shaped bill, the
upper mandible being very much more strongly incurved, and the lower one showing a flat superficies on the
gonys, which is very broad. These characters the describer considers sufficient to separate the bird generi-
cally from the other members of the Trichoglossinse.
I have to thank D r. Meyer for the loan o f the fine specimen from which the figures in the Plate have
been drawn ; and the following is a description of this bird
Face green, each feather having a yellow centre ; back p a rt o f the crown and nape brown, streaked
with pale yellow; all the upper surface, including the two centre tail-feathers and flanks, g r e e n ; chest
and centre o f the abdomen r e d ; all the primaries and secondaries as seen from above, when the wing is
expanded, brilliantly marked with red on the inner w eb s ; the same brilliant red also occurs on the under
wing, except the tips o f the primaries, which are brownish b lack ; tail cuneate, the four centre feathers
nearly uniform green with slightly rosy tips, the external ones green on the outer webs, with brilliant red
on the inner'webs, the whole broadly tipped with yellowish rose-colour. Total length 8 i in ch e s; wing 41,
tail 3$, tarsus ¡¡f
Professor Schlegel states th at the soft parts were found by Von Rosenberg to b e as follows— “ bill orange-
red, iris citron-yellow, feet yellowish flesh-colour.
In concluding this brief memoir o f a very interesting bird, I must beg to offer a dissenting voice as to its
belonging to the genus Nanodes o r being allied to Psitteuteles; neither can I agree with the learned Count
Salvadori in instituting a new genus for its reception. From the first moment I examined the skin kindly
forwarded to me by D r. Meyer I considered it a true Trichoglossus—an opinion in which D r. Sclater evidently
coincides; see the ‘ Proceedings ’ o f the Zoological Society, as quoted in the above synonymy. More
recently too, Dr. O. Finsch has declared in favour o f the bird being a tru e Trichoglossus.
The principal figure in the Plate is o f about the size o f life.