532 REVIEW OF GENUS PSITTACULA. 



P. ccelestis (Lkss.). 



(I) No. 96, Lafresnaye collection; Guayaquil?: Similar to the fe- 

 inaU', but rump and postocular region strongly tinged with blue. (Ob- 

 serve that in this the blue appears on the rump before it does on the 

 wings — the rciversebeingthecase in 7*. |;a6seri/irt, P. cyanojyygia, and P. 

 conspiciUata.) 



(li) No. ^2905, Guayaquil : Similar to the fulli)lumaged male, but 

 dark blue of the rump, greater wing-coverts, and under wing-coverts 

 much duller and without the rich gloss, the feathers having apparently 

 a softer or more tender texture; those of the rump are indistinctly 

 tipped with light grayish blue, and the greater wing-coverts have very 

 narrow green tips. 



It is not easy to determine, in a series of specimens, which of them 

 have been killed in the wild state and which were skinned after having 

 died in captivity, which, of course, adds to the perplex! ties of the subject. 



This question, however, is one which does not particularly affect the 

 (jnestion of distinguishing between the different species and races, 

 which, so far as they are known to me, may very readily be distin- 

 guished by the following characters : 



KKY TO THE SPKCIES. 



a'. WitigH with more or less of blue. 



h'. Width of upper mandible at base ,X) or more, depth of closed bill about .55, and 

 wing not more than 3. (Secondaries, shorter primaries and pri- 

 mary-coverts, and lowermost greater w^ing-coverts, dull ultrama- 

 rine blue ; under wing-coverts and rump green, sometimes tinged or 

 mixed with blue — possibly uniform blue in full plumage.) Hab. — 



Eastern Peru and Ecuador /'. crassirostris Tacz., <? . 



7;*. Width of upper mandible at baseless than .35 and depth of closed bill less than 

 .55, or else wing 3.45 or more, 

 (■'. Uppermandible blackish ordusky, (Above dark parrot-green, beneath lighter 

 green ; rump, under wing-coverts, etc., rich smalt-blue.) Hab. — 



Upper Amazons F. sclateri Gu^^Y, ^ . 



c'^. Upper mandible light-colored, like the lower (sometimes dusky at base). 

 (V. liump bright blue. 

 e'. Sides of head marked with blue. 

 /'. Forehead and sides of head (except orbital region) grass-green ; orbital 

 region cobalt-blue ; lower parts dull malachite-green ; mantle dull 

 parrot-green. Hab. — Colombia and Eastern Ecuador. 



7'. co^sjncillata Lafr., ^ 

 /'. I^orehead and sides of head (except postocular region) bright yellowish 

 green or ajiiile-green ; postocul;ir region light azure-blue; lower 

 jurts light pea-green, tinged laterally with l)rownish ; mantle dull 

 brown isli-greeu or olive. 

 (jK Mantle dull grayish olive-green ; riiiii)), under wing-coverts, etc., dark 

 liyacinth-blut^; upper tail-coverts deep grass-green, i/ofc.— West- 

 ern Peru and Ecuador P. coch'stis (Less.), ,? . 



ff^. Mantle light dull olive or greenish brown, iu very conspicious con- 

 trast with green of upper tail-coverts, head, etc. ; upper tail-covert 

 light grass-green, margined with bright malachite-green. Hab.-^ 

 "Colombia" P. calestis lucida Ridgw. 



