1874.] DE. FINSCH'S 'DIE PAPAGEIEN.' 285 







but something far higher, an Indian field naturalist. Colonel Tytler described the Andaman 

 Parrakeet, his P. affinis, thus — " generally like P. erythroyenys, the red cheek-mark and coloration 

 of which it possesses, but differs constantly in having a black bill" (Ibis, 18G7, p. 320). Beavan 

 adds, on Cblonel Tytler 's authority, " P. erythrogenys he " (Colonel Tytler) " has seen in all 

 stages, and it always has a red bill " {I. c). Nor is this all : Dr. Finsch, as above stated, founded 

 his opinion on Herr. v. Pelzeln's description of a " sexed specimen " of a female in the Vienna 

 Museum, obtained in the Nicobars " in the flesh " by the ' Novara ' expedition. Tliree " sexed " 

 as males, five " sexed " as females, and one specimen, with sex undetermined, came to the Vienna 

 Museum. By what, then, was Dr. Finsch to be guided^ Apart from Colonel Tytler's opinion, 

 the conclusions of Mr. Blyth drawn from unmarked skins ] or the statement of Herr v. Telzeln, 

 who had had the advantage of examining eight marked skins I Is it not allowable to assume 

 that the zoologists attached to any European or American scientific expedition are capable of 

 correctly determining by dissection the sexes of the specimens they obtain % But Mr. Hume 

 readily disposes of this, I venture to submit, equitable argument in these words, " on the streno-th 

 'of an old female in the Vienna Museum' (palpably, to us who know the species, an old maley etc. 

 {t. c. p. 24). Unhappily Dr. Finsch, like most people, at least in Europe, not being gifted with 

 a prophetic spirit, was unable to foretell in 1868 what " us who know the species " mio-ht know 

 in 1874. 



The same remarks will apply in the main to Mr. Hume's criticisms of the account given by 

 Dr. Finsch of Palceoruis caniceps, Blyth, the last of the nine good species of the genus within 

 Mr. Hume's acquaintance. This handsome Parrakeet was likewise described from a sino-le skin 

 (much mutilated) with a red maxilla, brought to Calcutta by Captain Lewis from the Nicobars. Ibis, 1874, 

 Mr. Blyth in this instance also never saw the bird " in the flesh," much less dissected it. Indeed ^^" "^''" 

 the type specimen was so much mutilated that Blyth introduces his description with these words 

 " This is a very strongly marked species ; but I can now merely indicate rather than describe it," 

 etc. (J. A. S. B. 1846, p. 23, note). As in the case of P. eryt]iro(jcnys, Blyth adopted the 

 foregone conclusion, a mere theory unsupported by a single then existing established fact, that 

 while the adult male had a red maxilla that of the female would be black. Shortly afterwards 

 Mr. Blyth [t.c. p. 51, note) described, as belonging to the female of P. canicejjs, a single skin 

 from Province Wellesley, with a black maxilla, in Dr. Cantor's possession. These were the only 

 examples of the species Blyth had seen previous to 1868. One, the type, remained in the 

 Calcutta Museum ; the other was given by Dr. Cantor to the E. I. C. Museum, and subsequently 

 passed to the British Museum, where Dr. Finsch examined it. Besides these at least two 

 examples were obtained in the Nicobars by the ' Novara ' expedition, one of which, with a red 

 maxilla, was proved by dissection to be a female (Eeise Novara, Zool. i. p. 98). Herr v. Pelzeln 

 (/. c.) distinctly states this, and adds, which is significant, for there was no controversy at the 

 time, " therefore the colouring of the bill is the same in old individuals of both sexes." Dr, 

 Cantor's single specimen and the specimens obtained by the ' Novara ' were the only known 

 examples existing in Europe when Dr. Finsch wrote ; and all that was known about the species 

 was restricted to the sources I have indicated. The question therefore again arises, By what 

 was Dr. Finsch to be guided ^ The affirmative evidence of the ' Novara ' zoologists, derived 

 from actual examination of the corjms "? or Mr. Blyth's opinion formed from a couple of dried 



