PRIONITURUS. 277 



and nails light horn-blue. Wliitehead gives the iris as "dark brown." 

 Length, including rackets, 305 to 317; two males measure, wing, 164 to 

 166 ; tail, without rackets, 84 to 85 ; culmen from cere, 20 to 21 ; tarsus, 

 15 to 16. 



Female. — Much like male but red and blue of head and face replaced 

 by dark green ; a slight trace of blue on forehead and around eyes. Colors 

 of soft parts as in the male. "Differs from the female of P. verticalis 

 in having the head dull grass-green, the forehead, lores, sides of the crown, 

 and feathers round the eyes being washed with blue. The under parts 

 are like those of the male and never yellow-green as in the Sibutu female." 

 (Grant.) One female measures, wing, 158; tail without rackets, 83; 

 culmen from cere, 20 ; tarsus, 17. 



Young. — Immature birds of each sex resemble the adult female. 



The mountain racket-tailed parrakeet was discovered by "Wliitehead in 

 the mountains of Abra and Lepanto Provinces. At San Jose a live bird 

 was' purchased. The natives said it "had been snared in their maize-fields 

 and that it was common enough when the cereal was ripe.'' We collected 

 a number of specimens in Benguet Province where it was not uncommon 

 though somewhat difficult to secure; the species is well known to the 

 Igorot by the name "u-lis." It is improbable that this beautiful parrot 

 occurs below the pine belt but with our meager knowledge of the vertical 

 distribution of birds in the Philippines it is better to follow this statement 

 with a large interrogation mark. This species is very noisy and does not 

 differ in habits from lowland members of the genus. 



237. PRIONITURUS DISCURUS (Yieillot). 

 PHILIPPINE KACKET-TAILEB PARRAKEET. 



Psittacus discurus Viellot, Gal. dcs Ois. (previous to 1823), 1, 7, pi. 2li. 



Prioniturus discurus Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891), 20, 417; 

 Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 29, McGregor and Worcester, Hand- 

 List (1906), 49. 



Prioniturus discurus sulitensis Bi.asius, .lour, fiir Orn. (1890), 140." 



* The validity of the following species is doubtful : 

 Prioniturus suluensis VV. Blasius; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 29. 



Prioniturus discurus var. suluensis Blasius, Jour, fiir Ornith. (1890), 140. 

 Prioniturus suluensis Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. ]Mus. (1891), 20, 419. 



Adult. — "Very much like /'. discurus, from which it diflers in being larger and 

 in the greater extension of the blue color on the crown, where it begins from the 

 anterior edge of the forehead and extends to the occiput; also lores l)luish green; 

 on the nape and upper part of the back tliere is a very distinct olive patch, of the 

 same color as the under parts. Length, 343; wing, 163; central tail-feathers, 

 165; lateral tail-feathers, 76; bill, 23; tarsus, 17." (l^alvadori.) 



"The Sulu bird (P. suluensis Blasius) has i>cen separated on account of its 



