V °j IIL 1 From Magazines, &c. 73 



possess orange-scarlet bills, while those from the lower region 

 of Derby have pale wax-yellow bills, which comes nearest the 

 description furnished by Gould. The former variety Mr. North 

 proposes to distinguish under the name of P. aurantiirostris, 

 or in the vernacular the Orange-billed Grass-Finch. 



* * * 



Regarding the Red-crowned Lorikeet Gould wrote : — " Could 

 this species be transmitted to Europe, and a kind of food suitable 

 to it be discovered, it would form one of the most delightful 

 cage-pets that has ever been introduced." Gould's old time 

 question has been recently answered. According to The Avi- 

 cultural Magazine (January, 1903) a small consignment of the 

 pretty little Varied or Red-crowned Lorikeet (Ptilosclera versi- 

 color), which inhabits chiefly Northern x\ustralia, has lately 

 reached England — no doubt, the first living examples of this 

 interesting species ever taken to that country. 



* * * 



MlSS ROSIE ANDERSON, writing in The Avi cultural Magazine 

 (January, 1903) regarding her Ocyphaps lophotcs in England, 

 states : — " My pair of Crested Pigeons had at one time a perfect 

 mania for sitting — and sitting well — on other Doves' eggs. Nor 

 were they content with one nest, but each took a separate one. 

 At last I took them away and gave them a little aviary to 

 themselves, and here they brought up several young ones." 

 These handsome Australian Pigeons in England are valued by 

 Miss Anderson at from 15s. 6d. to 28s. per pair. 



* * * 



The Victorian Naturalist (March, 1903) contains " Notes on 

 the Genera Polytelis and Spathopterus " by Mr. G. A. Keartland. 

 The notes are most valuable, for the reason that they are Mr. 

 Keartland's personal observations of the birds in captivity as 

 well as in the open. Moreover, the three species — P. barrabandi 

 (Green-Leek Parrakeet), P. melanura (Black-tailed Parrakeet), 

 and 5. alexandrai (Alexandra Parrakeet) — are amongst the most 

 elegant of Australian Parrots. Mr. Keartland naturally defends 

 Mr. North's action in changing the generic name of the last- 

 mentioned species to Spathopterus because of the spatular 

 formation of the second primary of the wings, merely stating 

 that the British Museum authorities endorse the alteration, 

 but cites no reference for his statement. Both Mr. North and 

 Mr. Keartland must be aware that some other Australian Parrots 

 show indications of spatula-shaped terminations to certain 

 feathers of the primaries, notably in the genus Neophema. 

 Mr. Keartland's adoption of the vernacular " Princess " Alexandra 

 Parrakeet will not stand. Gould originally called the bird 

 " Princess of Wales " Parrakeet. But that gracious lady is now 

 our " Queen." Why not simply call the beautiful bird the 

 Alexandra Parrakeet ? Independently of this criticism, a writer 

 of a review on Mr. Seth-Smith's work " Parrakeets," in the 



