144 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



emerald-green ; back, rump, scapulars and upper tail-coverts dark green ; 

 central tail-feathers blue, edged with green near the base and tipped yel- 

 lowish ; the others more or less blue on the outer webs and green on the 

 inner ; lesser wing-coverts and the outer ones of the other series 

 dusky green ; the inner median coverts rather bright golden yellow, forming 

 a large conspicuous patch ; the inner greater coverts green, tinged with 

 yellow on the outer webs ; quills green on the outer webs, brown on 

 the inner; under wing- coverts green; lower throat, breast and upper 

 abdomen vinaceous red ; remainder of lower plumage green tinged with 

 blue. 



The female differs only in having the head tinged with blue, and in having 

 the vinaceous red of the breast produced up the sides of the neck between 

 the lilac-blue of the head and the emerald-green of the neck. 



Young birds have no red on the lower plumage. 



Upper mandible coral-red, the tip yellow ; lower mandible black ; the 

 cere dusky green ; eyelids pale greenish ; iris light yellow ; legs dusky 

 greenish yellow ; claws dark horn. The female has the upper mandible 

 black, with the tip yellow ; base of lower mandible pale orange-brown. 

 Young birds appear to have both mandibles black. 



Length very variable, and reaches up to 17 inches in good specimens, 

 tail up to 10, wing 6'4, tarsus '5, bill from gape 1. The female is of about 

 the same size. 



An ally of this species, P. alexandri, occurs in Java; it merely differs 

 in both sexes having the whole bill red. P. longicauda is a very 

 beautiful species from the Malay peninsula ; it has the crown a bright 

 green, the moustachial streaks black, and the remainder of the head a 

 beautiful rosy red. 



The Red-breasted Paroquet is found over the whole of British Burmah, 

 except on the very highest hills. The only portion where it is perhaps rare 

 or absent altogether is the Thoungyeen valley in Tenasserim, where Capt. 

 Bingham states that he has not observed it. 



It is found, according to Dr. Tiraud, in Cochin China ; in Mr. Seebohm's 

 collection are specimens collected by Mr. Swinhoe in Hainan ; and Count 

 Salvadori gives it from Malacca. 



It extends through the Indo-Burmese countries into India, where it is 

 found in Eastern Bengal and along the Himalayas as far as Kumaon. 



This Paroquet is found in well- wooded portions of the country usually 

 in small flocks, but when the paddy is ripe in immense numbers. They 

 descend on the fields and do a vast amount of injury, cutting the stems of 

 the rice with their bills, and then eating the half -ripened grains. During 

 the middle of the day they sit on dead trees in clearings, uttering a variety 

 of musical notes. Capt. Bingham found the nest in Tenasserim in 

 February. 



