50 Dr. A. B. Meyer's Field-notes 



claws grey, bill bluish grey or whitish. (One of my hunters 

 asserted that he had once shot a specimen with a red bill ; if 

 this is true, there exists perhaps another species.) 



In March 1871 this species was numerous in the neighbour- 

 hood of Menado, and was met with during the whole of my stay 

 in the Minahassa. Moreover I got this species nearLimbotto in 

 July, and on the Togian Islands in August. It only occurs on 

 low lands. Even the young bird can be distinguished from 

 the young of the allied Prioniturus flavicans by the greyish 

 tints on the wing-coverts. 



This bird flies much during the night, and can often be 

 heard crying on the wing over one's head. It feeds in the 

 night on the fruits of gardens and fields, and is fond of Indian 

 corn, rice, and fruits like lansa, pakowa, &c. During the day- 

 time it is seldom to be met in the plantations, but is to be 

 seen flying very high and crying loud, seldom alone. It 

 makes its nest in hollow trees. On trees it does not move 

 much, but sits quietly. If one is shot down from a group, 

 the others do not stir, but lie, concealed by their green plu- 

 mage, between the leaves, just as I have noticed in the case 

 of other Parrots (see my remarks on Nasiterna pygmcea in 

 Gould's 'Birds of New Guinea,' pt. vi. 1878). 



The natives of the Minahassa assert that if the '^ Kulli- 

 kulli " is taken by surprise in the rice-fields, it becomes con- 

 fused or terrified, falls down, and then can easily be caught. 

 This does not appear very credible; nevertheless it agrees with 

 the observation that one can be brought down by a shot out of 

 a group without the others moving; perhaps these are struck by 

 terror, and do not know what to do. This fact has given rise 

 to the following tale in the Minahassa. Children are asked, 

 " If ten birds sit on a tree, and one is shot down, how many 

 remain on the tree ? " The children answer, " nine ;" but 

 the master says, " wrong," because they all fly away — except 

 when the birds are Kulli-kulli ; in this case the children are 

 right. 



The cry of P. platurus is like k'dk, kdk. 



At Menado I once had a specimen in captivity, but it ap- 

 peared to be very unhappy in its cage. 



