228 PSITTACID.E PCEOCEPHALUS 



eggs. We found one, it was pure white and nearly round." 

 Francis states that this species is found all over the low country 

 on the eastern Transvaal, and that it is very destructive to the 

 natives' crops of corn. 



^ 



487. Pceocephalus meyeri. Meyer's Parrot. 



A 



Psittacus meyeri, Cretzch. Atlas, p. 18, pi. 11 (1826) ; Ayres, Ibis, 

 1869, p. 296 [Limpopo Valley] ; BucJdey, Ibis, 1874, p. 369 fS. Mata- 

 beleland ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 201 [Eustenburg] ; Sliarpe, ed. 

 Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 195, 813 (1876-84) ; Oates, Matabeleland, 

 p. 307 (1881) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 249 [Mashonaland] . 



Pceocephalus meyeri, Strickl. and Sclat. Contrib. Ornith. 1852, p. 156 

 [Damaraland] ; Gurney in Andersson's B. D am ar aland, p. 213 

 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 291 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 373 

 (1891) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 139 (1896) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, 

 p. 254 [Mashonaland] ; Alexander, t.c. p. 429 [Zambesi] . 



Pionias meyeri, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 494 (1868) ; Holub fy Pelz. Orn. 

 Siid-Afr. p. 159, fig. on p. 168 (1882). 



Poicephalus meyeri transvaalensis, Neumann, Ornith. Monatsb. vii, 

 p. 25 (1899). 



Description. Adult. Above, brown, a yellow transverse band 

 across the crown between the eyes usually present, but not invari- 

 ably ; a few of the outer upper wing-coverts, the edge of the wing, 

 the under wing-coverts and tibial plumes bright yellow ; lower back 

 and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue ; throat, breast and sides of the 

 head brown like the back ; rest of the lower surface greenish-blue, 

 the sides of the body somewhat mottled with brown. 



Iris deep red-orange, naked skin round the eye black, bill dark 

 horn with a tinge of green ; legs and feet greenish-black. 



Length about 9-0; wing 6-0; tail 2'75; culmen O90 ; 

 tarsus 0-55. 



The- sexes are alike. The young bird has no yellow on the 

 crown, the wing-coverts are edged with green, the yellow feathers 

 on the edge of the wing and the under wing-coverts have brown 

 bases, the tibial feathers are green ; the iris is olive-brown. 



- Distribution. Throughout east Africa from Abyssinia and the 

 Upper Nile Valley to the western Transvaal and Ovampoland. 

 Within our limits it is a common bird from Bechuanaland and the 

 western Transvaal northwards to the Cunene and Zambesi rivers. 



The following are localities : Transvaal Eustenburg and Marico 

 (Ayres and Holub) ; Bechuanaland Kanye (Exton), Bamangwato 



