LORIKEETS. 



135 



may be heard almost constantly in the vicinity of the 

 trees it frequents." 



Mitchell's Lorikeet (T richoijlosxiis milchnUi). 



Back, winge, and tail green ; a yellow-green band 

 across the nape; interscapular region with concealed red 

 spots on the feathei-s ; head purplish-brown front and 

 lores slightly bluish ; vertex and cheeks sligiitly tinged 

 with fTeen ; a green band on tlie throat ; breast bright 

 red, tinged witJi orange towards the tips of the featliers, 

 ■which are more or less faintly edged with green; 

 abdomen gi'ean, tinged witli deep brownish-piM-ple ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts green, yellow at iba&e of feathers; 

 thighs yellow ; under wing-coverts red ; flights below 

 dusky black, with a yellow band; tail-feathers below 

 ■with tiieir inner wch.3 edged with yellow ; beak red ; 

 feet dark giey; irides red. Hab., unknown. 



Formerly only know'n from two females living 

 in the London Zoological Gardens and one in the 

 Amsterdam Gardens. I must, however, have .seen a 

 male, as I note that its "beak is broader beyond the 

 middle, and tapers less than that of the female " (" How 

 to Sex Cage-Birds," p. 108). 



SwAlNSOx's LoHiKEET (T richoglossus novce-hollandiu;). 



Back, wings, and tail green ; a yellowish-gTeen band 

 on the nape ; crown of the bead, face, cheeks, and 

 throat purplisli blue, the breast and under wing-coverts, 

 vermilicn red ; the belly, bright blue ; a yellow band on 

 under surface of wing ; imder tail-coverts yellow at base, 

 green at tip ; inner webs of lateral tail feathers yellow ; 

 beak orange-vermillion tipped with yellow ; feet leaden 

 grey ; irides r€ddish-bix>-wn. Female with shorter beak, 

 narrower towards the tap; she is also, as usual, pei^haps 

 a trifle smaller than the male. Hab., Eastern Austa-alia, 

 from Cape York to Victoria and Tasmania. As usual, 

 this Lorj', in its own country, breeds in holes in tlie 

 branches of trees, in which it deposits four whiteeggs. 

 Being essentially an arboreal species, it rarely visits the 

 solid ground ; its legs, indeed, are suited rather for 

 climbing than running. Gould say.s of this species : 

 " The flowers of the various species of eucalypti furnish 

 this bii'd with an abundant sujjply of food, and so 

 exclusively is it confined to the forests composed of 

 these trees that I do not recollect to have met with it in 

 any other. However graphically it might be desciibed, 

 I scarcely believe it pois.sible to convey an idea of the 

 appearance of a forest of flowering gums tenanted by 

 Trichoglosii ; three or four siKcies being frequently 

 seen on the same tree, and often simiUtaneou.dy attack- 

 ing the pendent blossoms of tbe same branch. The 

 incessant din produced by tbeir thou.sand voices, and the 

 screaming notes they emit when a flock of either species 

 simultaneou.sly leaves the trees for .some other part of 

 the foreet. is not easily described, and must be seen and 

 heard to be fully comprehended. So intent ai'e they for 

 some time after sunrise upon extracting their honey- 

 food that they are not easily alarmed or made to quit 

 the trees upon which they are feeding." 



I suppose many of us have seen the effect of waves of 

 sound upon sand distributed evenly over a thin steel 

 plate, but to see sound itself surpasses all human 

 experience. 



The Xorthern form of this species is described as a 

 distinct sub-.species by Robinson, a.nd in The Ibis for 

 1900 he says it can readily be distinguished by its 

 smaller size and by the brighter and purer blue of the 

 head and alHlominal patch ; he thus describes the soft 

 parts : — " Iris red ; feet black ; bill red," quoting Olive 

 as the authority. 



The principal fuod in a wild state consists of the 

 nectar and pollen of eucalyptus flowers, as well as the 



seeds of grasses and insects. When kept in captivity 

 Dr. Russ recommends " canaryseed, millet, hemp, oats, 

 egg-bread, boiled rice, fresh or soaked ants' eggs, sweet 

 rii)6 fruit, cheiTies, berries, grapes, dates, rigs, etc." 

 In place of the egg-bi^ead and ants' eggs I should substi- 

 tute stewed apple ma.shed up witli £ponge-<'ake ; also 

 plenty of wholesome green-food in season, together wit'n 

 any flowers of fruit trees, dneluding may-(blassoms. 

 - This Lctikeet has been bred on several occasions in 

 Germany and at least once in England, but it is not 

 altogether a desirable bird to keep. Unless an aviary 

 can he devoted to it alone, a separate cage will be more 

 suirtable, as it is considered by most aviarists who bave 

 kept it to be of a combative dispoisition ; at the same 

 time, as a cage^bird, it becomes very annoying on 

 account of its shrieking propensities. The popular 

 dealer's name for the species is " Blue Mountain Lory." 



Red-collared Lorikeet {Trichoglossus rubritorques). 



Back, wings and tail green ; an orange-red band on 

 the nape and a blue band on the bind neck ; inter- 

 scapular feathers, orange-red at the base ; head and 

 throat blue ; breast oi'ange-red ; middle of abdomen 

 dark gi-een ; flank-feathers yellow edged with green; 

 under tail-coverts greenish-yellow tipped with green ; 

 lateral tail feathers with yellow inner webs ; imder 

 wing-coverts vei'milion ; flights yellow at base of inner 

 webs ; beak red ; feet ashy grey ; irides red with a 

 narrow yellowish ring round the pupil. Female, with 

 the beak narrower beyond the middle and more tapei-ed 

 towards tlie tip. Hab., N.W. Australia. 



A near relative of the preceding species, which it 

 resembles in its habits. According to Gilbert (in 

 Gould's "Handbook," Vol. II., p. 96), "It is gener- 

 ally seen in large flocks, feeding on the siimnuts of the 

 loftiest trees. Its flight is rapid in the extreme. Like 

 the otlier Trichoglossi, its food consists of honey and the 

 buds of flowers." 



Mr. D. Le Souef (The Ibis, 1899, pp. 360, 361) says :— 

 "These birds axe very plentiful in the north-western 

 ooa.stal districts and are very noisy, flying genei-ally in 

 flocks, screeching as they go, and feeding on the honey 

 of the various flowering trees and shrabs. They nest 

 dn the hollow spouts of the eucalyptus-trees at various 

 distances from the entrance. 



"The eggs are elongate and slightly smaller at one 

 end, and are of a dull white colour, but soon get .stained 

 brown. December and January seem to be their prin- 

 cipal nesting-season, and the two clutches herein 

 described' were found respectively on December 29tli, 

 1898, and .Tanuarv 25th, 1899. and they measure :— (1) A. 

 1.4 liv 0.82 inrh ; B. 1.8 by 0.84; (2) A. 1.6 by 0.82 inch; 

 B. 1.2 by 0.83. 



" These eggs were exhibited before the Field 

 Naturalists' Club of Victoria on March 13th, 1899." 



This Lorikeet has been represented in the London 

 Zoological Society's collection at Regent's Park. 



Or.N.\MENTAL LoRiKEET [Trhchoglossus ornatus). 

 The prevailing colour is gi-een in several shades ; the 

 crown is purplish-blue, bounded at the back by a band 

 of blue-tipped scarlet feathers ; the ear-coverts are pur- 

 plish-blue ; a broad oblique bright yellow .band runs 

 down the side of the neck ; the cheeks and chin are 

 scarlet, the throat and breast also scarlet, but the 

 feathers tijiped with blue-black; the flanks are yello-w 

 barred -with" gi-een. and the vent is yellowish ; the pri- 

 mtiries are bluish on the outer web ; the beak is orange- 

 red ; the feet pale greyish-blue; the naked .skin round 

 the eye pale blue ibluish-black according to Ru.ss) ; the 

 iris chestnut. Female with shorter beak, narrower to- 



