azure-blue; upper tail-coverts light green; tail scarlet tipped with
light green, before which is a sub-terminal band of black; un er
wing-coverts greyish-black. Total length, 5 inches; wing, g ig
tail, 1*8 j tarsus, O'35.
Fig. Bourj. Perroq. pi. 90.
T,175. PSITTACUS ROBUSTUS. n ep YV aaiilula annut’s P a rro t.
These large African Parrots are divided by Dr. Fmsch, our
greatest authority on these birds, into two sections distinguished by
their brown or yellow under wing-coyerts. The present bud has
them brown, and can therefore only be compared with the West-
African P. fusdcollis. Professor Barboza du Bocage has recent y
diagnosed the two species very carefully, and he gives the following
characters for P. robustus Brownish-green, the feathers of the
back and wings blackish in the centre; lower back, rump and
abdomen bright green; primaries, secondaries and tail obscure
brown, narrowly bordered with olive; head, neck and breast rather
bright yellowish-dusky colour ; forehead and cheeks, shg t y
reddish; bend of the wing and tibial region vermilion; biU dul
white; feet black. Total length, 5 inches; wings, 8'" ; tail,4*0- ;
t&rsus 0*7.”
Le Yaillant’s Parrot is rather difficult to obtain, and the few
“ specimens that have reached us have all been from the Knysna and
the Eastern frontier seabbard. Mr. Atmore procured it near Eland s
Post and Captain Bulger at Windvogelberg. Dr. Kirk says that it
is a much rarer species on the Zambesi than P. fuscicapiUus.
Le Yaillant states that they breed in hollow trees, and lay four white
eggs, about the size of those of pigeons. According to Dr. Kirk
the food consists of wild fruit and the kernels of nuts. We have not
seen any specimens from Natal, and the only reference to its
occurrence in that Colony is given by Mr. Gurney, who writes (Ibis,
1873, p. 255): “ Mr. E. C. Buxton informs me that during a recent
visit to Natal he saw two young Parrots in that colony which had
respectively been taken from nests at Cremer’s, Unyemi Palis : one
of these he identified as P. robustus : the other, which was of a
much smaller species, he was unable satisfactorily to identify m
consequence of the bad condition of its plumage.”
Fig. LeYaill. Perroq. pi. 130.
176. PsiTTACtrs fu sc ic o l l is . Brown-necked Parrot.
Professor Barboza du Bocage gives the diagnosis of this species as
follows : “ Olive-green; the secondaries uniform with the back; the
primaries and tail brown, slightly bordered with olive-green; lower
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts light yellowish-green; head,
neck, and breast, olive grey; the forehead broadly, the cheeks
obscurely red; bend of the wing and tibial region vermilion; iris
chestnut; bill dull white; feet black.” Total length, l l -5 inches;
wing, 8'2; tail, 4"5; tarsus, 0'6.
Specimens which were obtained by Anchieta at Humbe on the
Cunene river have been identified as belonging to this species by
Professor Bocage, and he concludes that the examples obtained by
Andersson in Ondonga and Damara Land belong to the present
bird and not to P. robustus, to which they had been referred, and
this we find on a re-examination of -the specimens to be actually the
case. Thus the following note of Mr. Andersson refers to P.
fuscicollis and not to P. robustus : “ I have met with this Parrot in
the country of Ovaquenyama, where it is very abundant, but very
difficult to approach; and in fact it is only to be obtained in the
morning and evening, when it comes to the water during the dry
season.”
177. P sittacus m ey e b i. Meyer’s Parrot.
This and the two following species have yellow under wing-
coverts. None of them occur within the limits of the Cape
Colony, but to the northward they are not rare, and are much prized
as cage-birds. Mr. Ayres says that they occur near the Limpopo,
and throughout the bush-veldt of the Transvaal. Mr. Ortlepp also
found them plentiful on the above-named river. Dr. Exton found
them frequent in the Matabili country, generally keeping to high
thorn bushes, and Mr. T. E. Buckley writes as follows : “ This was
the only Parrot seen during the journey. It is common from the
north-west of the Transvaal to the Matabili country. These birds
are seen either in pairs or small parties, and are not shy. Their cry
is a very shrill note, repeated several times, and generally uttered
when flying; their flight is extremely rapid, during which time the
blue on the rump is very conspicuous.” Mr. P. A. Barratt says:
I shot one in the bush near Rustenberg, and saw a few more ; I
o 2