BuLLEE. — On the Ornithology of New Zealand. 189 



bastard quills and outer webs of first four primaries, in their 

 basal portion, blue ; the rest of the primaries brownish-grey, 

 clouded with darker grey on their inner webs ; the fifth pri- 

 mary in each wing yellowish-white, the outer vane changing 

 to yellowish green towards the base ; the two middle tail- 

 feathers dark-green, edged and tipped with yellow, and the 

 lateral ones varied and clouded with green ; the under tail- 

 coverts washed with green. Bill normal ; feet pale-brown. 

 This specimen is marked " Female," and there is a note 

 attached stating that it was obtained in December, 1876. 



Platycercus auriceps, Kuhl. (Yellow-topped Parrakeet.) 



I have described elsewhere the beautiful yellow Parrakeet 

 in the Colonial Museum. There is an equally lovely object in 

 the Southland Museum : On the forehead there is the usual 

 mark of arterial red, and with this exception the whole of 

 the plumage is of a vivid canary yellow ; primaries and their 

 coverts white. Bill and feet white. 



Platycercus cooki, Gray. (Norfolk Island Parrakeet.) 



The confusion about this species appears to have been 

 cleared up at last. The Ibis of last year (p. 156) contains the 

 following : " Mr. North, having procured two authentic speci- 

 mens of the Parrakeet of Norfolk Island, admits that Count 

 Saivadori was correct in stating [Ibis, 1893, p. 466) that the 

 species is quite distinct from Cyanoramphus nova-zealandice, 

 and that G. rayneri is identical with C. cooki — the proper 

 name for the Norfolk Island bird. It would seem that the 

 species of this genus which formerly inhabited Lord Howe's 

 Island has become extinct." So, I may add, has that which, 

 a few years ago, inhabited Macquarie Island. 



Nestor meridionalis, Gmelin. (The Kaka.) 



I have received a beautiful specimen of Nestor meridionalis 

 from Stewart Island — another form to be added to the re- 

 markable series of well-marked varieties enumerated in my 

 "Birds of New Zealand." The general plumage is of a 

 delicate fawn-colour, flushed more or less with orange, par- 

 ticularly on the upper wing-coverts, the feathers of the back 

 having darker margins ; ear-coverts orpiment-orange ; the 

 overlapping feathers on the cheeks dark wine-red ; nuchal 

 collar conspicuous, and of red and orange intermixed ; croup 

 and upper tail-coverts, lining of wings, abdomen, and under 

 tail-coverts arterial red ; feathers on the breast and those 

 along inner margin of wings with yellow and red crescents 

 and dark margins ; tail-feathers strongly flushed with reddish- 

 orange. Bill and feet whitish-horn colour. 



