OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 67 



brown ; under wing coverts whitish, outer series tinged with brown ; 

 bill, black ; legs and feet, brown. Total length, 6 inches ; wing, 

 3 - 35 ; tail, 2-8 ; tarsus bill from forehead, - 7 ; from the gape, - 9 ; 

 from nostril, 0-4 ; width and height at nostril, - 2. 



Hab. — New Britain and adjacent islands. 



This description has been taken from a spirit specimen, one of 

 a collection of birds, obtained by Captain Ferguson in 1870, at 

 New Britain and the adjacent Islands. 



I exhibit also from the same collection of birds above mentioned, 

 which has now been in spirits over five years, two or three very 

 interesting specimens of parrots, including the beautiful Lorius 

 chlorocercvs, Domicella cardinalis and the miniature Nasitema 

 pusio, the smallest species of parrot known, its total length being 

 about 3 1 inches. 



This curious little bird has character which appear to link it, 

 from the form of its feet and bill, with some of the largest of the 

 group of parrots — the Cockatoos (Cacaluittce) ; on examination, its 

 sternum however does not show any affinity to that group, but 

 rather places it, from the absence of the furcula, among the Pezo- 

 poj-ince. On the whole, its characters are so anomalous that it is 

 difficult to decide what family, among the Psittacidre, it should be 

 most properly placed ; and only by a close comparison and exami- 

 nation of its entire skeleton, can this be decided. I am inclined 

 to think it will eventually be placed in a separate family. The 

 peculiar formation of the tail feathers, the bare shafts of which 

 being produced into spines at the tips, I believe, is not found 

 in any other known genus of parrots. When we know some- 

 thing of the habits of this species it will probably be fouud to be 

 strictly arboreal, and confined to the dense scrubs, where it could 

 find abundance of food without extensive flight, for which its 

 wings are not adapted ; the contents of the crop appeared to be 

 portions of fruit ; the gizzard contained minute grains of sand and 

 a few seeds, from which one might suppose it to be of terrestrial 

 habits ; the absence of the os furculum would also warrant this 

 opinion. S0CA, , 



' N OOS A/- ( 



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