230 PSITTACID^ PCEOCEPHALUS 



Length 8*5 ; wing 5-60 ; tail 2*70 ; culmen 1-0 ; tarsus 0'60. 



The female has the lower back, upper and under tail-coverts 

 bright blue; the young bird is like the female but duller in colour 

 and is without the yellow on the wing ; the under wing-coverts arc, 

 duller yellow. 



Distribution. — Within our limits this species is only found in 

 German south-west Africa, in the middle and southern parts of 

 which it is stated to be fairly common by Andersson and by Fleck, 

 who gives Eeheboth and Windhoek as special locations. North of 

 the Cunene it is spread over Angola and perhaps reaches as far 

 as Gaboon. 



Habits. — The most remarkable fact in regard to this bird is that 

 the female is the most brightly coloured of the two sexes, having 

 the back and belly bright blue ; this when the bird was first dis- 

 covered caused some confusion, biit the facts as stated are well 

 authenticated by careful dissections of specimens, which have died 

 in captivity in the Zoological Gardens in London. 



Andersson states that he met with this Parrot in small flocks of 

 about half a dozen individuals and that it seemed to prefer the larger 

 kinds of trees. It is rather shy, and when quietly perched among 

 the branches is very difficult to perceive until its presence is 

 betrayed by the cries it utters as soon as it conceives itself to be 

 in danger ; these are at first shrill and isolated but increase in 

 strength and frequency until it leaves its perch, and are usually 

 continued during its flight, which is generally short, but very rapid. 

 It is rarely found far from water, which it usually frequents twice a 

 day. It feeds on seeds and berries, sometimes also on young shoots 

 of trees and plants. 



Subfamily II. PAL^OENITHIN^. 



Bill moderate, usually deeper than long, culmen round and 

 usually smooth ; cere narrow, equally bi'oad throughout, surround- 

 ing the whole base of the bill, generally partly feathered ; nostrils 

 hidden or exposed ; tail long and graduated or short and square ; 

 wing with the second and third quills the longest. 



