INSESSORES. 79 



Sp. 437. EUPHEMA SPLENDIDA, Gould. 



Splendid Gkass-Parrakeet. 

 Euphema splendida, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part VIII. p. 147. 



Euphema splendida, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. v. pi. 42. 



It is a source of much regret to me, that I am unable to 

 give more than a very slight notice of this beautiful bird. The 

 specimen from which my description Vas taken came into my 

 possession in 1840, unfortunately without any other informa- 

 ation accompanying it than that it was a native of Swan River ; 

 from that period no other example occurred until 1845, when 

 several were transmitted to me by the late Johnson Drummond, 

 who had killed them near Moore's River in Western Australia. 

 Captain Sturt obtained a male during one of his journeys into 

 the interior of South Australia, and Mr. J. Gardner informs me 

 that he has procured examples in the Murray scrub near the 

 north-west band of that river, and has been told that it is 

 found in the country bordering the head of St. Vincent's Gulf; 

 he adds that it is of a very shy disposition, and nowhere very 

 numerous. 



The Splendid Grass-Parrakeet has many characters in 

 common with the E. pulchella, but differs from that species 

 in the entire absence of the chestnut mark on the shoulders, 

 in the more intense blue of the face, and in the gorgeously 

 rich scarlet colouring of the chest ; and is rendered remark- 

 ably conspicuous by the brilliant display of the three primi- 

 tive colours — blue, red and yellow — on its face, breast, and 

 abdomen. 



The male has the face and ear-coverts deep indigo-blue, 

 becoming paler on the latter ; all the upper surface grass- 

 green ; upper wing-coverts beautiful lazuline blue ; under 

 wing-coverts deep indigo-blue ; primaries and secondaries 

 black ; the first three or four primaries slightly margined with 

 green ; two centre tail-feathers dark green ; the remaining 



