Vol. XVII. 



x\ II. "j AsHBY, New Suh-^pecies of Platycercus elegans. 4^ 



Description of a New Sub'Species of Platycercus 

 elegans (Gmelin). 



By Edwin Ashby, M.B.O.U.. R.A.O.U., " WiTrrNGA." Black- 

 wood, S.A. 



Colour. — As compared with P. elegans, the adult birds of the 

 form under review are scarlet rather than crimson ; head, nape, 

 rump, and lower back bright scarlet ; hind neck, mantle, scapulars, 

 and most of the greater wing coverts black edged with bright 

 orange-red ; patch on shoulder black : median and lesser wing 

 coverts light blue ; outer webs of primaries, secondaries, and 

 some of the wing coverts, ])asal part of exposed portions of outer 

 web, dark blue ; central tail feathers dull green on the inner web. 

 other portions of tail feathers blue, the outer four feathers broadly 

 tipped with pale blue : chin or lower cheek blue ; under side, 

 including under tail coverts, uniformly bright scarlet : under 

 side of tail feathers, with the exception of the broadly-tipped 

 portions of the four outer feathers, deep black ; under side of 

 wing black, with the exception of the large shoulder patch, which 

 is blue. 



In less developed specimens, in the mantles and scapulars the 

 edgings show more or less green, also some of the feathers on the 

 nape and rump have pale edges. This race is distinguished 

 from all other forms of P. elegans (with the exception of P. 

 adelaidce) by the scarlet colour replacing the crimson, and from 

 the latter in the generally more brilhant scarlet plumage, and 

 in the case of old specimens the green feathers on rump and 

 back are entirely replaced by scarlet. 



Habitat. — The Fleurieu Peninsula, South Austraha, the ex- 

 tremity of which is famihar under the name of Cape Jervis, The 

 peninsula was thus named at the time of Flinders and Baudin's 

 exploration of St. Vincent Gulf ; but later the name was dropped, 

 until, in 1911, at the request of Count Fleurieu, the grandson of 

 the famous French Minister, the name was replaced on the South 

 Australian maps. 



While we have recognized for a long time that a highly- 

 coloured strain of the Adelaide Rosella was frequently seen in 

 the neighbourhood of Myponga, and even extending as far as the 

 Meadows, along the same range, it has fallen to the lot of Mr. 

 Frank E. Parsons, R.A.O.U., and myself to locate the true home 

 of these highly-coloured birds on the occasion of a rather hurried 

 motor trip to Cape Jervis last Easter. I am indebted to Mr. 

 Parsons both for specimens and help in attempting to elucidate 

 the problem of this higUy-coloured form. 



We consider that their headquarters are between Normanville 

 and Cape Jervis. Between NormanviUe and Second Valley every 

 flock had its quota of higlily-coloured birds. They were met 

 with in numbers in the gums along the water-courses. 



If it be decided to distinguish these geographical races by 



