THE LORIES AND LORIKEETS. 183 



CHAP. LXX.— THE OENAMENTED LORY OR 

 LORIKEET. 



Psittacua ornatus, L. 



Ornamental Jjovy (Ger., Blauohriger Keilschwanzlori, Schmuck- 

 lori; Fr., Perruche Lori ornee ; Dut, Blauwoor Loeri) — Its 

 Extraordinary Beauty — Description — Habitat — Rarity in the 

 Bird Market — Character in Captivity — Talking Capacity. 



Few fanciers could be unaffected at tlie siglit of this beautiful 

 little bird. I thought, when I first saw it, that it was the most 

 beautiful of all the brilliant and splendid lories. Mr. Scheuba 

 expresses himself in similar terms, and the old authors seem to 

 be of the same opinion, for they called this bird " The Paradise 

 Parrakeet." I gave it the popular name of Ornamented Lory, by 

 which it is universally known, in accordance with the Latin 

 appellation. 



It is among those parrots which have been long known. 

 Edwards sketched it as early as 1747, Brisson described it in 

 1760, and Linne named it. However, we had no particulars of 

 its life in freedom, nor of its habits in captivity, till lately. 



It is violet-blue on the forehead and top of the head ; the 

 back of the head inclines to blackish-blue ; round the back of 

 the head and across the nape of the neck there is a scarlet band 

 marked faintly as with scales of black ; the lores and a spot 

 near the ear are blackish-blue ; on each side of the throat there 

 is a broad bright-yellow stripe ; all the upper part of the body 

 is a dark grass-green ; every feather on the fore part of the 

 back has a broad yellow transverse stripe ; the quills are green 

 on the outer web ; the inner web is of blackish-grey, dark grey 

 on the reverse side ; the shoulders and under coverts of the 

 wings are a deep yellow ; the centre feathers of the tail green, 

 the outer ones are greenish-yellow at the tip, and at the basal 

 half the inner webs are scarlet ; the cheeks and throat are 

 scarlet ; the front of the neck and the breast the same, marked 

 with broad black stripes ; the belly dark green ; the sides, 

 hinder part of the body, and under coverts of the tail, marked 

 as with green and yellow scales ; the beak red ; the cere 

 blackish ; eyes dark brown, inclining to reddish-brown ; the 

 featherless skin round them bluish-black ; feet dark grey ; claws 

 black. In size it is scarcely as large as a thrush (length. 8f in. 

 to 9Jin. ; wings, 4jin. to 4^in. ; tail, 2|in. to 3in.). 



