282 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 



Adult. — Forehead, lores, and sides of face grass-green connecting with 

 the grass-green collar of hind neck;* crown and occiput hright blue; rest 

 of upper parts green, yellowish on the mantle and more or less mixed 

 with light blue on the Ijack ; below yellowish green, becoming clear green 

 on abdomen and under tail-coverts; primaries blackish on inner web, dark 

 green on outer web, tips of shorter ones blue; secondaries mostly blue 

 with light green edges ; tertials green with blue tips ; alula and primary- 

 coverts dark blue, black along the shafts and more or less washed with 

 green ; distal greater and median covert* bright blue with yellow-green 

 margins; proximal greater and median coverts with the middle black, 

 surrounded by a narrow line of bright blue followed by a wide edge of old 

 gold; lesser coverts black, some of the proximal ones bordered with blue 

 and old gold ; tail grass-green above, dark golden yellow below. 



Iris very pale straw^, a narrow inner ring of darker yellow ; upper 

 mandible bright scarlet, except tip which like the lower mandible is dull 

 yellow, cere black ; legs dull green ; nails dark horn. Length, 300 to 

 330 mm. Specimens from different parts of the Archipelago vary greatly 

 in measurements and colors. The sexes do not differ except that the 

 female is a little the smaller. Four males from Ticao average: Wing, 

 195; tail, 132; culmen from cere, 33; tarsus, 18. Two females from 

 Ticao average: Wing, 187; tail, 12G; culmen from cere, 28; tarsus, 18. 



Young. — Differs from the adult in having little or no blue on the head 

 and face which are green ; back largely sky-blue ; blue of wings and coverts 

 largely replaced by green; the coverts bordered with light yellowish 

 green. 



"The Philippine green parrot is the common cage bird of the natives, 

 who have doubtless aided in its dispersal. Escaped cage birds were shot 

 by us on several occasions. Called 'picoi' by the natives. Occurs in deep 

 forest, but is also very common in the open, especially about dead trees, 

 where it nests in natural cavities or in deserted holes of the great wood- 

 peckers (Thriponax). 



"Iris of male birds has an outer ring of white and an inner of brown ; 

 iris of females light yellow; legs and feet drab, nails black; bill scarlet, 

 yellowish at tip. Fully adult specimens show very great variability as 

 to size, running from 300 to 395. Fourteen males from Tawi Tawi meas- 

 ure 325 in length; wing, 191; tail, 126; culmen, 29; tarsus, 16; middle 

 toe with claw, 29. Two females from Masbate measure, length, 311; 

 wing, 180; tail, 124; culmen, 30; tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw, 35." 

 (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



Grant finds some very considerable differences among specimens of this 

 species from various islands but evidently he considers them to be of less 

 than even subspecific value. Possibly this species will eventually be split 

 into several subspecies or races. 



* In many specimens otherwise in adult plumage, the cheeks are green, but this 

 seems to be invaded bv extension of blue from the crown as the birds become older. 



