Platycercus auriceps. 531 



docile. The most remarkable peculiarity that struck me in 

 their habits was the custom of continually jumping upwards, and 

 alwiys from the ground. They seemed indeed generally to pre- 

 fer the bottom of their, cage to the perch. Were I to allow myself 

 to draw an inference respecting the habits of the group, from my 

 observations on a few individuals belonging to it, aided however 

 by the consideration of the before mentioned prominent character 

 of the elevated tarsi, I should say that the habits of this genus 

 closely approach those of Pezoporus, which has always been 

 described as living on the ground. 



Although the species has been well figured by M. Sparmann, 

 yet as his work is not one of common occurrence, and his figure 

 besides is that of a variety, not furnished with the full markings, 

 I am induced to have it again represented, and in what appears 

 to be its perfect plumage. As the Conductors of this Journal 

 have determined on publishing Supplementary Plates, in addition 

 to those included in the work itself, in order to meet the encreas- 

 ing number of new forms and species with which every day 

 enriches our collections in Zoology, the P. Pacificus will be 

 figured in the first of these plates. 



Auriceps. Kuhl. P. viridis, subtus pallidior, fascia frontali cris- 



soque coccineis, verticejlavo. 

 Tab. Sup. 2. 



Rostrum argenteum apice nigro : pteromata remigesque ad 

 basin cajrulea;. Rectrices virides, flavo-marginatae, subtus flaves- 

 centes. Longitudo corporis 6f ; mandibulW superioris ad frontem 

 et ad rictum \ ; tarsi f . 



Habitat 



In Mus. Brit. 



P. Pacificus, var. c. Lath. Syn. I. p. 253. 



P. auriceps. Kuhl. Nov. Act. Acad. Caes. Nat. Cur. p. 46. 



This is one of the many instances in which the contents of our 

 British Collections, publick and private, have been assigned to 

 foreign Zoologists to be named and described. It is of little con- 



