390 



NOTES OX PSITTIROSTRA PSITTACEA. 



Coloriees" are ofteu very bad, but this difference seems to be too great 

 to be attributable to the carelessness of the artist. It should also be 

 remarked that Latham's description is somewhat similar. He says 

 (Gen. Syuops., IT, i, p. 109) : " The rest of the plumage [all except the 

 head] a greenish olive brown, i)alest beneath." I will also call atten- 

 tion to von Pelzeln's remarks (Ibis, 1873, !>. 22) in regard to two speci- 

 mens collected in Oahu as compared with Latham's type, which are to 

 the effect that " even the older one [ S ] differs from Latham's male bird 

 [then before himj, the middle of the breast and belly and the thighs 

 [tibiie?] being whitish," it being the natural inference that these parts 

 are not colored thus in Latham's type. 



The question is now : Are there two different species of Fsittirostra 

 on the Sandwich Islands, or are the differences pointed out above per- 

 haps only due to age ? 



I may add that Mr. Knudsen writes that this species is ^' rather rare 

 on Kauai." 



Xo. 1114o5 is molting the first (ninth) primary, but in No. 111454 the 

 wing-formula is as follows: third longest, but slightly longer than 

 fourth, which again is but slightly longer than second; first andfifthare 

 about equal, and 4'»i" shorter than second ; sixth much shorter. 



Smithsonian Institution, Julij 2, 1887. 



