THK AlsrUAl-IAN" LORY. 349 



the purpose of extracting tlic nectar of flowers, and sucking the juices of tender fruit?, 

 which it appears constitute the principal support of the meral)ers of this beautiful 

 division. 



To great elegance of form, this species unites a plumage of the richest description, the 

 ground colour of the bodj- being of a deep but brilliant scarlet, relieved in parts with deep 

 azure blue, yellow, and green. The tail, or at least the two narrow central feathers, 

 greatly exceeds the rest of the body in length, as they measure upwards of eleven inches, 

 while the former does not exceed six ; the lateral feathers are regularly graduated, as in 

 the other lories, the longest measuring about four inches, or one-third the length of the 

 two intermediate plumes. The bill is of an orange-red colour ; the vipper mandible is 

 long, with the tip or hooked part projecting far beyond the under one, which is conic 

 and narrow. The tongue is similar in structure and appearance to that of the other 

 members of the group, the tip being furnished with delicate papilla?. Upon the vertex 

 and nape are two irregular bars of azure, margined with purplish black. The lower 

 parts of the tibiae, lower back, and rump, are also of a deep azure. Upon the sides of 

 the breast and thighs are patches of rich yellow. The wings arc green ; the interior 

 webs of the quills blackish. The elongated tail feathers are pale grass-green, passing 

 towards the iips into yellow ; the lateral have their basal half dark green, the remainder 

 deep saifron-yellow. This lovely specimen is an inhabitant of Papua, and other parts of 

 New Guinea, and, as might be expected in countries rarely visited by the naturalist, 

 little is known of its history or peculiar habits. Its remains, like those of the birds of 

 paradise, freqiiently reach us in a ni^itilated state, being deprived of the legs, and often 

 w^anting the long feathers of the tail ; and from such specimens have been derived the 

 imperfect descriptions of various authors. 



THE PURPLE-CAPPED LORV. * 



This beautiful bird is a native of the Moluccas and other Eastern islands, from whence 

 it is occasionally received, it being held in high estimation, not only on account of its 

 elegant plumage, but for the docility it evinces, and its distinct utterance of words and 

 sentences. It is also fond of being caressed, and livoh' and active iu its disposition. In 

 size it is among the largest of the group, measuring upwards of eleven inches in length. 

 The ground colour of the plumage is rich scarlet, this tint occupying all the lower parts 

 of the boly, with the exception of a collar of yellow upon the upper part of the breast. 

 The neck, back, upper tail-eovorts, and basal part of the tail, are also of the same colour. 

 The crown of the head is blackish purple in front, passing into violet-purple on the 

 hinder part. The wings on the upper surface are green, the flexure and margins violet- 

 blue, as are also the under wing-coverts. The feathers of the thighs are azure-coloured 

 exteriorly, their basal parts being greenish. The bill is orange-yellow. 



Tin-, .\USTRALL\X LORY. 



Ve now enter ujjon an Australian group, which, in that division of the globe, takes 

 the place of the Indian lories. The members belonging to it, instead of having the 

 ground or prevailing colour of the plumage of a red or vermilion tint, have it green, of 

 brighter or deeper shades, according to the species, variegated, however, in many of 

 them, with masses of the first-named colour. In this genus the tail is more elongated 

 than in the true lories, and regularly graduated, with the tips of the feathers narrow ; 

 the wings are also narrow and pointed. It constitutes Vigor's genus Tric/ioffhssus, and 



* Lorhis Bomicellus. 



