617 



NOTES ON THE RED-CROWNED PARRAKEET 

 (GYANORHAMPHUS GOOKI) OF NORFOLK ISLAND. 



By Alfred J. North, F.L.S., Assistant in Ornithology, 

 Australian Museum. 



(Plate XXVI.) 



In describing the eggs of the Red-crowned Parrakeet of Norfolk 

 Island at the November Meeting of this Society last year, I made 

 some remarks upon the specific name under which this parrakeet 

 was recognised and known by different , authors, pointing out 

 that Dr. Finsch and Sir Walter Buller considered it a variety of 

 Cyanorhamphus novce-zealandim^ and ranked the name C. rayneri^ 

 of Norfolk Island, under the synonymy of the New Zealand 

 species, while Count Salvadori considered the Norfolk Island 

 form C. rayneri the same as C cooki, and quite distinct. I 

 summarised my remarks by stating : — " If C. ray7ieri of Norfolk 

 Island IS the same as C. cookl of New Zealand, as stated by Count 

 Salvadori, I should not be surprised to find, upon the examination 

 of a large series of skins of the Red-fronted Parrakeet of Norfolk 

 Island, that it is only an occasional and by no means constant 

 variety of C. novce-zealandice, not meriting even subspecific dis- 

 tinction." This opinion was based upon my knowledge of the 

 extraordinary variation to be found in the extent of the colour on 

 the head, and the size of C. novce-zealandice, having examined 

 over 150 living specimens that were captured in the South Island 

 of New Zealand, and upon the original description and habitat of 

 C. cookl given by Gray, who states it is " Like P. novce-zealandicB, 

 but much larger. Hah. — New Zealand."* 



*G. R. Gray, List Psitt. Brit. Mus. p. 13 (1859). 



