LORICULUS. 261 



This genus ranges throughout the greater part of the Oriental 

 region and into part of the Papuan. Two species out of about 

 twenty that are known occur within our limits. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Crown green L. vernalis, p. 261. 



b. Crown red L. indicus, p. 262. 



1150. Loriculis vernalis. The Indian Loriquet. 



Psittacus vernalis, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, no. 29 (1787). 



Loriculus vernalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 10; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 627; 



Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 265 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 6 ; Walden, P. Z. 8. 



1866, p. 538; 1873, p. 298; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 320; 1869, 



p. 412; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 185, 471 ; iii, p. 57 ; iv, p. 388; v, p. 25 ; 



xi, p. 56 ; id. Cat. no. 153 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 58 ; 



Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 120, 500; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52; 



Bingham, ibid. p. 161 ; Butler, ibid. j>. 384 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 146 ; 



id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. in, p. 92 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. 



p. Ill ; Salvation, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 517. 

 Coryllis vernalis, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 721 (1868). 



Bhora, Bho-ara, H. in S. India; Latkan, H. in Bengal; Kyay-thatah, 

 Kyun-hto, Burm. 



Coloration. Male. Upper parts green, except the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts, which are rich crimson ; crown rather lighter 

 green, outer webs of quills above and upper 

 surface of tail-feathers darker, back tinged 

 with yellow ; lower parts also green, but paler 

 and yellower, especially on the breast ; a patch 

 of blue on the throat; inner webs of quills 

 inside and larger under wing-coverts, also 

 lower surface of tail-feathers, verditer-blue. 



The female is a little darker in colour, and 

 Fig. 71. wants the blue on the throat partially or 



He&d of L. vernalis, j. wholly. In young birds the crimson of the 



rump is mixed with green. 



Bill dull coral-red, yellow at tip, cere red ; iris pale yellowish 

 white; legs pale orange (Oates, Pegu): bill dark yellow; feet 

 leaden (Jerdon, Malabar). 



Length about 5-5 ; tail 1'7 ; wing 3*7 ; tarsus -45 ; bill from 

 cere *5. 



Distribution. The neighbourhood of the Malabar coast from 

 Cape Comorin to the latitude of Bombay, also east of the Bay of 

 Bengal. This bird is found on the Nilgiris up to about 6000 feet, 

 also in Western Mysore, and in Dharwar, Belgaum, &c., but only 

 near the Sahyadri ; it is unknown throughout the rest of India 

 south of the Himalayas, and in the Himalayas it has not been 

 recorded west of Sikhim and the Bhutan Duars, where it is found, 

 also in Assam, Sylhet, Cachar, Khtisi hills, Manipur, and through- 

 out Burma, extending to the Malay Peninsula, in the southern 

 portion of which it is replaced by L. yaljulus. It is common in the 



