302 ON THE BIEDS INHABITING [1875. 



ground that he had failed to find, among the numerous examples he had examined, a single 

 individual in a transition phase, — that is, combining partly the distinctive characters of both. 

 Yet as far back as 1853 Dr. Pucheran, in one of his valuable essays on the types contained in 

 the Paris Museum (/. c), more than suggested that P. loxia, Cuv., was the same bird as P. tor- 

 qiiatus, Gm. (=P. lunulatus. Scop.). Cuvier's type, it seems, did display, along with the blue 

 collar f, a few feathers, " pretes a disparaitre," with yellow crescents bordered with black. 

 Professor Schlegel (/. c.) Avithout hesitation unites the two species. 



From a note on the label of a Luzon example of true P. loxia, Cuv., marked thus by 

 Dr. Meyer " Psittacula lunulata 6 (not loxias, which is the <S of hmidata)," it is to be inferred 

 that Dr. Meyer considers that the two forms constitute one species. The mode of expression used 

 is, of course, not accurate ; for the individual thus noted is actually P. loxia, Cuv. ; and there is 

 evident confusion in the application of the masculine symbols. But the Doctor's meaning is 

 probably that the blue-collared bird is the male of the necklaced form. Of five examples, three, 

 with blue collars, are marked as males ; one with a lunated collar and uropygium is also marked 

 as a male ; and the fifth, also with a lunated collar, as being a female. This last has the 

 crescentic markings on the lower back faintly indicated ; the three blue-collared individuals do 

 not exhibit a trace anywhere. 



From Dr. Meyer's specimens and Dr. Pucheran's remarks on Cuvier's type, the following 



conclusions may therefore be arrived at : — first, that the blue collar is indicative of the adult 



male ; secondly, that young males possess the necklaced collar, and present crescentic markings 



on the lower back ; thirdly, that females do wear the same plumage as young males. There is, 



however, no positive evidence to prove that adult females do not put on the garb of adult males, 



although Dr. Meyer's somewhat confused note makes it likely that they do not, 



Tr. Z. S.ix. The length of the wing in one young male is greater than in the three adult males, as 



p. Vdo. 



herewith shown. 



iris yellow-brown [Meyer) : P. loxia, Cuv. 



P. loxia, Cuv. 



"5 



P. luuulatns. Scop, 

 iris yellow-brown {2Iei/er) : P. lunulatus. Scop. 



LoRicuLUS, Blytb. 



5. * LOEICULUS PHILIPPENSIS. 



Psittacula philijypensis, Briss. Orn. iv. p. 392, no. 87, "Philippines" (17G0); Meyen, Nov. 

 Act. C. L. C. Nat. Cur. xvi. Suppl. prim. p. 94, " Manilla." 



Le coulacissi, Buffon, Hist. Nat. Ois. vi. p. 169, ex Brisson. 



PerrucJie des Philip])ines, D'Aubent. PI. Enl. 520, f. 1. 



Psittacus j^hilijijjensis, L. S. Miiller, S. N. Suppl. p. 80, no. 68 (1776), ex Buffon. 



Psittacus galgulus, var. /3, Gm. S. N. i. p. 349, no. 46, ex Briss. 



t Dr. Pucheran does not mention the bhie collar in so many words ; but he refers to the individual as Cuvier's type, 

 and that is described by Lesson (Z. f.) as having the tour de la gorge bleu. Indeed the blue collar is the distinctive 

 character of P. loxia, Cuv. 



