^.^ AsHBY, New Sub-species of Plaiycercus elegans. [-.nd'^Tiily 



trinomial designations, I suggest the name of Platycercus elegans 

 fletirieuensis, or the Fleurieu Peninsula Rosella, for this form. 

 On the other hand, should it be decided to make P. adelaidce a 

 dominant species, then this form under review and P. ffaveolus 

 would be sub-species of P. adelaida. 



Supplementary Notes on the Fleurieu Peninsula Rosella, 

 AND Comments on the Affinities of Platycercus adelaidce 

 (Gould) and P. flaveolus (Gould). 

 . I have collected specimens of Platycercus elegans from the 

 western portion of Kangaroo Island and the Mount Gambler 

 district of South Australia. Victoria, New^ South Wales, and 

 Southern Queensland, and have specimens from Cape York, 

 Northern Queensland. In Mr. Mathews's 1913 " List " the western 

 form is called melanopterus (North), and the northern nigrescens 

 (Ramsay), both sub-species of the intermediate or dominant form, 

 elegans. 



A comparison of these skins sliows that the rich crimson 

 coloration, subject to some divergence of shade, is persistent 

 throughout the whole series. 



Now, the Fleurieu bird, in the case of the adult specimen 

 described, at first glance appears to have closer alhnities with P. 

 elegans than with P. adelaidcs, in that the whole of the green 

 coloration is replaced with red ; but on closer study it is evident 

 that the character of the red links it up with P. adelaidce, and 

 suggests the possibility that adclaidcv is more nearly related to 

 flaveolus than to elegans, of which it is made a sub-species in Mr. 

 Mathews's 1913 " List." 



On comparing the Fleurieu skins with those in Capt. White's, 

 the South Australian Museum, and Mr. Parsons' collections, I 

 find that, while no skins of adelaidce show nearly as much red as 

 the highly-coloured skin described, several skins exhibit nearly 

 as much as the less brightly-coloured skins from Second Valley. 

 Two of these highly-coloured skins in Capt. White's collection 

 came from Mount Compass, a ])lace distinctly within the range 

 assigned to the new bird. The examination of a large number 

 of skins establishes the fact that exceptionally bright P. adelaida:, 

 although rarely, do occur throughout the Adelaide Hills, that 

 could not be specifically separated from the second class skins 

 of the Fleurieu birds ; but in the best the latter stands out as very 

 distinct in the brilHancy and extent of the scarlet coloration. 



We therefore establish the fact that skins exist that, when 

 carefully selected and placed together, will show a gradual 

 transition from the brilliantly scarlet bird of Second Valley to 

 the more sombre green -backed and more or less green- rum ped 

 form so common in the Adelaide Hills. 



But on carrying this investigation further I find that inter- 

 mediate forms between P. adelaidce and P. flaveolus are not only 

 not rare, but there is every reason to believe that the substitu- 

 tion of pale yellowish-green on the back and almost yellow on 



