226 PSITTACIDJE PCEOCEPHALUS 



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485. Poeocephalus fuscicollis. Brown-necked Parrot. 



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Psittacus fuscicollis, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 93 (1820) ; Sharpe, ed. 



Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 195 (1876). 

 Pionias fuscicollis, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 473 (1868). 

 Poicephalus robustus (nee Gmel.), Gurney in Andersson 1 s B.Demara- 



land, p. 213 (1872). 

 Pceocephalus fuscicollis, Salvad. Cat. B. M. xx, p. 364 (1891) ; Shelley, 



B. Afr. i, p. 139 (1896) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 254 [Mashonaland]. 



Description. Adult. Head and neck silvery-grey with brown 

 centres to most of the feathers, cheeks and chin with a reddish 

 tinge ; forehead and sometimes the vertex rose-red ; back and wings 

 green, the colour brightest on the edges of the feathers ; wing-quills 

 and tail-feathers dusky-black; edge of the wing and thighs 

 vermilion ; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts and lower surface 

 from the breast downwards, grass-green. 



Iris dark brown ; bill whitish ; legs and feet black. 



Length about 12 ; wing 8'0 ; tail 3'7 ; culmen 1-6 ; tarsus 0-75. 



The sexes are alike, the young bird has no red on the head, edge 

 of the wing and thighs. 



Distribution. The Brown-necked Parrot is found in western 

 Africa in Gaboon, Angola and the northern portion of German south- 

 west Africa ; it extends across the head waters of the Zambesi to 

 Mashonaland and German east Africa. 



It seems likely that it is this species and not P. robustus 

 which is found in Mashonaland and Nyasaland. 



The following are South African localities : Ehodesia Mashona- 

 land (Marshall) ; German south-west Africa Ondonga and Sishongo 

 (Andersson in Bt. Mus.), Ochimbora (Eriksson in S. A. Mus.). 



Habits. Mr. Andersson states that this Parrot is very wild and 

 difficult to approach and that it is only in the dry season in early 

 morning and late evening, when they come down to the water, that 

 they can be procured. 





486. Pceocephalus fuscicapillus. Brown-headed Parrot. 



Pionus fuscicapillus, Verr. et des Murs, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, 



p. 58. 

 Pionias fuscicapillus, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 492 (1868) ; Finsch &? Hartl. 



Vog. Ost-Afrikas, p. 499, pi. 7 (1870). 

 Psittacus fuscicapillus, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 197 (1876) ; 



IF. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 53 [Oliphant's Eiver] . 



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