190 Transactions. — Zoology.' 



Art. IX. — Note on a Species of Platycercus (P. erythrotis, 

 Wagl.) from Antipodes Island. 



By H. 0. FoKBES. 



\Ecad before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 1st October, 



1891.] 



I HAVE lately had an opportunity of examining a species of 

 Platycercus from Antipodes Island, on which I offer the fol- 

 lowing observations :■ — • 



In general appearance the bird resembles its near relative, 

 Platycercus novce-zealandice, but it is unmistakably larger and 

 more robust. In general plumage the Antipodes bird is 

 dark yellowish-green, and of a lighter shade still on the wing- 

 coverts, owing to a bright edging of orange to the feathers, 

 while on the under-side the green is conspicuously yellower 

 than in Platycercus novcB-zealandia. Compared with it, the 

 Antipodes specimen has the crimson patch on the forehead as 

 large, or, indeed, a little larger, and somewhat lighter in colour, 

 and has the streak in front of the eye orange-red, while the 

 ear -spots are narrower and extend less far back. Both 

 birds present a distinct spot of scarlet on each side of the 

 rump. On the nape there is in both sexes the same concealed 

 nuchal patch of yellowish- white, but it is smaller in the Anti- 

 podes specimen. The wing-feathers of the latter are dull 

 greenish-black, having the under-surface lighter and crossed 

 by two obscure, broken yellowish bands, composed of yel- 

 lowish blotches on the secondaries and secondary coverts. 

 The outer primaries and their coverts are deep-blue on then* 

 external webs, but only along a band next the shaft, and 

 ceasing at the notch, being followed, except on the coverts, by 

 a second narrow band of yellowish-green, succeeded by a 

 bright edging of greenish-yellow, more marked distally, and 

 disappearing in the dusky terminal spot. The bastard quills 

 are pale greenish -blue, with a yellowish -blue termination. 

 Irides yellow. Upper mandible, for three-quarters of its extent 

 from the tip backwards, deep-black, the rest whitish-blue. In 

 P. novce-zcalandicB the black colour of the upper mandible is 

 confined to the tip, and is a character of great constancy in 

 the New Zealand birds. Lower mandible black ; legs and 

 feet bluish-black. 



The dimensions of the leg-bones fully demonstrate the 

 greater strength of the bird in this region as compared with 

 its New Zealand congener. 



