1 91 8,] Letters, Extracts, and Notes. \77 



develops a different coloration, we have another o£ the 

 extraordinary cases where birds in captivity do not follow 

 the laAvs of nature. It may be that the birds in captivity 

 all came from one district and consequently show a sub- 

 specific feature which lias not been observed in the 

 bird-skins I have examined. 



Lord Tavistock's belief that all Platycercine Pariakcets 

 take only fourteen months to assume adult plumage may be 

 quite true for birds in captivity, but it is just as certainly not 

 applicable lo these birds in the Avild state. It may be here 

 explained that I am using the words in captivity to include 

 birds at liberty in England. I gave Keartland^s results that 

 at least two years elapsed in one case, and this could be 

 easily confirmed by Australian ornithologists. 



"The classification of Platycercus adelaida as merely a 

 local race of Platycercus elegans seems hardly justifiable, 

 as it bears no closer resemblance to that bird than to 

 P . flaveohis ." I agree with Lord Tavistock that this form 

 is almost exactly intermediate between elegans and Jlaveolw^, 

 as Mr. Edwin Ashby has just shown another apparently 

 connecting link, and the correct status of adtlaidie is at 

 present in doubt. As regards coloration, Ashby has named 

 a form P. elegans fleurituensis which connects (apparently) 

 P. adelaida and P. elegans, P. subadelaida seems inter- 

 mediate between P. adelaida and P. flaveolus. But typical 

 P.flaveolus lives and breeds along with typical P, elegans, 

 and these differ in every detail. It seems at present that 

 P. adelaidee should be associated with flaveolus rather than 

 with elegans, but further research is necessary. 



I would emphasise the fact that though I apparently 

 controvert the statements put forward by Lord Tavistock in 

 his letter, I have only done so on the facts before me and 

 for the purpose of advancing our knowledge of these birds. 

 1 really am very grateful for his interesting letter as it may 

 be the means of adding to our knowledge, and it is pos- 

 sible that his statements may prove accurate in the case 

 of certain subspecies, though not constantly true for the 

 species as a whole. If this A^ere proven, wc should have 



SER. X. VOL. VI. X 



