98 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



Young. — "Much duller than the adult; the blue frontal baud 

 but faintly indicated; the under parts more olive; the orange 

 spot on the abdomen very small ; the tail more greenish ; some- 

 times some of the quills have a white spot on the irmer web " (B. 

 M. Cat.) 



Nest. — Within a hollow of a limb of a fallen tree. 



Eggs. — Clutch four to six ; round in shape ; texture fine ; surface 

 almost without lustre; colour white. Dimensions in mm. of a 

 clutch :— (1) 20 X 17, (2) 19 x 16.5, (3) 19.5 x 17, (4) 20 x 16.75. 



Breeding Season. — November to January. 



Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, New South Wales, Vic- 

 toria, and South Australia. 



Observations. — The stronghold of this Parrakeet appears to be 

 the southern portion of the island. In Gould's day it was to be found 

 about Hobart and New Norfolk, and was very abundant on the 

 Actaeon Islands, at the entrance of D'Entrecasteaux Channel. 

 He wrote: — "These small and uninhabited islands are covered 

 with grasses and scrub, intermingled with a species of barilla, 

 nearly allied to Atriplex halimus (a salt-bush), and almost the 

 only land bird that enlivens these solitary spots is the present 

 beautiful Parrakeet. I frequently flushed small flocks from among 

 the grass, when they immediately alighted upon the barilla bushes 

 around me, their sparkling orange bellies forming a striking con- 

 trast with the green of the other part of their plumage and the 

 silvery foliage of tlie plant upon which they rested. I made 

 many unsuccessful attempts to discover their breeding-places. 

 As, however, these islands are destitute of large trees, I am induced 

 to believe that they lay eggs in holes on the ground, or among the 

 stones on the shore." 



I am given to understand that it is still almost if not quite as 

 plentiful as when Gould wrote about it. So far as the northern 

 parts of the island are concerned, the species is somewhat rare, 

 but I have records of it from various places scattered over a wide 

 area. 



Like the Blue-winged species, this one obtains the greater part 

 of its food from off the ground, from whence it may be flushed 

 in small flocks. On the ground it is a swift runner. It is interest- 

 ing to watch a flock scurrying along with short, quick steps through 

 the grass in search of its favourite food-seeds. It arrives towards 

 the end of September, and departs about the end of February. 

 During a visit to Ninth Island, lying off the North-East Coast of 

 Tasmania, during the latter part of September, 1909, a pair, then 

 six birds, of this species were observed migrating to Tasmania. 

 They made a stay of very short duration on the island — just long 

 enough to gather a little food. 



