]36 PI.ATYCERCIN^. 



Auijust and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this 

 species in New South Wales and X'ictoria. On the 7th October, 1892, I saw two clutches of 

 live young birds in each in W. Octave Le Bon's shop, which had been just taken from the 

 nesting-place at Cobar, New South Wales, and although apparently only about four weeks old, 

 and having soft fleshy-white bills, were able to feed themselves. In March, 1896, Mr. James 

 Ivamsay informed me that tliis and other species of Parrakeets were then breeding about Cobar, 

 having missed the previous ordinary season on account of the drought. At Narrabri, on the 

 9th November, 1896, I saw young birds that had been taken from the nesting-place that day. 

 In South x\ustralia the breeding season must commence earlier, for on Yorke's Peninsula, South 

 .Australia, Mr. W. W'hite informs me he found newly fledged young on the 20th .\ugust, and at 

 Port .Augusta Dr. .V. M. Morgan found a nesting-place on the 14th Aui;ust, iqio, containing 

 youuK. 



Barnardius semitorquatus. 



YELLOW-COLL.ARED PARKA KEKT. 



Psitfaciis semitorqitalna, Quoy et Gaiui., Voy, de I'Astrol., Zool., toLii. T., p. 2'.u, pi. 23 (1830). 

 Plalycprcns semitorquafus, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. V., pi. 19 (1848) ; id , Handhk. Bds. Austr., 



Vol. :., p. 42 (1865). , 



/lai-iiariliuti SPini/orqiiatiis, Salvad., Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XX., p. .'1.39 (1891); Sharpe, 

 Hand-1. Bd.s., Vol. II., p. .38 (1900). 



Adult .m.\le. — General ctilmir ahori> yrimi,, tJiP inner n/ipcr n-iiig-corrrls ami tin- i<i'Condaries- like 

 the back, Ih' iiufrr nung-covrts yellinviali-ijrfru, ninfif, of flie lesser series bluisli-green : primary coverls 

 dark hliir, blackish at their ti/is ; jiriinariis lilnckisli on ih'ir inner n-ebs dark bhie on the nnter, the 

 outer web of tlic first primary nntli an ashy shade, and n-liicli. extends to the apical portion, of the 

 secon.d, third, and fourth primaries ; central pair of tail-feathers green, bluish toicards their tips, the 

 remainder dark bine on tlie basal portion of llnir nn.ter icebs, their inner iivbs hlnckish and tvaslied 

 ivith green on both ivehs, irhicli decreases in e.efent foirards the outermost feather, apical portion of the 

 feathers pale bine : head and nape dull black ; mi the forehead a crimson-red. band: cheeks bln.e, a 

 broad collar on the liind-inck yellon; folloH'ed mi tlie lower portion by n narroiv black line ; finneck 

 and chest green, some of the feathers on the former liaringa slight blnish slinih- : breast green or 

 yelloivish-green, in some specimens crossed irilh a broad yelloir band : abdomen and under tail -coverts 

 yelloirish-green ; " bill blnish horn-colon r : legs anil feet grey ; ii-is, hir.el '' {Gurter). 'Toted length 16 

 inches, tiling 7-o, tail '.), bill D'!).', tarsus 0-9 .'. 



Adult FKMALK. — '^lightly duller in plumage than the male. 



Distribution — Western Australia. 



^S pointed out by me in the " Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,"'" 

 there is a great variation in the adult plumage of the present species. Ouoy and 

 Gaimard in the " \'oyage de I'.Vstrolabe," Gould, in his folio edition of the "ISirds of Australia,"' 

 and Count Salvador! in Volume XX. of the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," all 

 agree in describing the lower breast as light green or yellowish-green. Dr. E. P. Ramsay, in 

 his " Catalogue of Birds in the .Australian Museum," describes this part as deep yellow. Three 

 adult specimens with abroad yellow band across the lower breast, were also e.xhibited by me; 

 one, an adult male obtained by Mr. George Masters at King George's Sound, Western 

 .Australia, in January, 1869, and an adult female and male obtained by Mr. T. Carter 

 at Broome Hill, South-western Australia, in January and February, 1907. Also two adult 



* Abstr. Proc. Liiin. Soc. N S. Wales, p ii., (27th Aus . 1909). 



