84 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



they were found by the members of the Horn Scientific Exploring 

 Expedition near Glen Edith, on the western extremity of the 

 West Macdonnell Ranges, almost due north of Lake Amadeus. 

 It was on this occasion that I obtained about fifteen specimens, 

 some of which are to be found in the museums of Melbourne, 

 Sydney, and Adelaide, In November, 1894, Mr. Chas. Pritchard 

 found them breeding on the Hale River, near Alice Springs, when 

 he secured a number of nestlings, one of which is still alive in 

 the possession of Mr. Chas. French, jun. In the same month 

 Mr. C. E. Covvle reported seeing them occasionally flying around 

 Illamurta. In August, 1896, these parrakeets were seen and shot 

 in the Great Sandy Desert of North-West Australia, on the route 

 of the Calvert Exploring Expedition, about 300 miles north-east 

 of Lake Way, and on several subsequent occasions as we went 

 northwards towards Separation Well. In March, 1897, I shot 

 two out of a flock about fifty miles north of Joanna Spring. 

 Mr. L. A. Wells, our leader, next saw them within fifty miles of 

 the Fitzroy River, West Kimberley, in May, 1897. About three 

 years ago they were found breeding about forty miles from the 

 Menzies goldfield in Western Australia, and three young ones taken 

 from there have been brought to Melbourne. Last month Mr. L. 

 A. Wells wrote to me saying that whilst on the Alberga River 

 recently he found these birds breeding within eighty miles of 

 Oodnadatta, the terminus of the trans-continenlal railway. This 

 is the first time they have been noted in South Australia proper, 

 and the most southerly point by several hundred miles of wliich 

 we have any record. Hitherto Crown Point v/as the southern 

 boundary. 



It is remarkable that they have never been known to breed 

 twice in the same district. They are always found in or near 

 spinifex country, and their food consists chiefly of the seeds of 

 Spinifex Grass, Triodia irritans, and Portulaca. The former 

 resembles small canary seed, and the latter is not unlike coarse 

 gunpowder. As spinifex abounds largely in Queensland and 

 New South Wales, it is possible we may yet have reports of the 

 Princess of Wales Parakeets being found in those Sates. Up to 

 the present their range has been limited to the western side of 

 the continent. 



ERRATA. 



On page 55, line 5, page 56, line 17, and page 74, line 8 

 from bottom, for " Aprasia pulchella " read " Delina fraseri, 

 Gray." 



On page 64, par. 4, strike out words " compiled from the 

 sources mentioned," and after " classification " add — " The 

 species in brackets, recorded by Watts, I have not seen.'' 



