/VESTS AND ECGS OF AVSTRAUAN BIRDS. 641 



The Mallee Parrokcet possesses a lighter or higher pitched voice 

 than the Plntijrfrri, and when the bird is on the wing its notes, 

 though somewhat jerky, are musical, sounchng Hke " whit-whit-whit." 

 When Emu egging in the Eiverina, June, 1895, I noticed this hajid- 

 some Parrakeet usually in pairs. The male always appeared the larger 

 and more brightly coloured bird. 



Gould did not succeed in taking the eggs of the Mallee, or Barnard 

 Parrakeet, although it was breeding in the large trees of all the 

 difTerent parts of the country he visited. Indeed these eggs wore 

 rare in collections for some time. Tlie one originally described by me 

 in 1885 was procured through the agency of my brother, then at 

 Nhill, in the Wimmera district. 



The late Mr. T. A. Forbes-Leith records : — " I have this beautiful 

 PaiTakcet well impressed on my memory, as on following one I got 

 bu.shed for .some time, with the thermometer about 160 degrees in 

 the sun, and no water in the district. I brought the PaiTot home, 

 although at one time, owing to the groat heat and my intense thirst, 

 I thought I should have perished." 



On the authority of the late Captain F. C. Hansen, I have men- 

 tioned the Murray cliffs as a breeding place. He did not take eggs, 

 but when passing in the steamer " Maggie " noticed these Parrakeets 

 nesting there, also the Rock Pcbbler (PolyfeJix melnnura) and the 

 " Blue Bonnet " ( Psrplidtiix -aii/Iiorrhinix). 



Breeding months from the middle of September to the end of the 

 year, but in extraordinai-y seasons (notably 1899) eggs and young have 

 been noticed in Julv. 



510. — BARNARnius SEMTTORQUATUS. Quoy and Gaimard. — (413) 

 YELLOW-COLI.ARED PARRAKEET. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. v., pi. 19. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xx., p. 559. 



Previous Descriftiotis of Eggs. — *Gould : Birds of Australia (1848) , 

 also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 42 (1865). 



Gencjraphiral Dixfrihution. — West Australia. 



Nest. — A hole or hollow in a tall tree (eucalypt) in thick forest. 



Bgcju. — Clutch, seven to nine (Gould) ; round oval in shape ; 

 texture of shell comparatively fine; surface slightly glossy; colour, 

 pure white. Dimensions of a set of three : (1) 1-29 x 1-0, (2) 1-22 x 1-0. 

 (3) 1-21 X 10. (Keartland collection.) 



Ohnervations. — This is the largest species of the handsome ring- 

 necked PaiTakeets, and is a Western Australian bird, where it is 

 plentiful. I do not think it ventures into the tropics. It has been 



*No dimensions eiven. 



41 



