62 



THE CARDINAL PARROT. 



Psittacus erythrocephalus, LINN^ECS ; La Perruche cardinale ; Der Cardinal 

 Sittich, BECHSTEIN. 



THE length of this species is twelve inches, of which the tail, 

 which is very wedge-shaped, measures six and three quarters. 

 The beak is peach blossom, and the naked membrane asli 

 coloured, the iris orange, and the feet grey. All the head is 

 violet, tinted with blue and red ; a black band surrounds the 

 neck; the throat is black, the upper part of the body dark 

 green, the under part light green. 



In the female, the beak is yellow ; the head of a dark blue 

 ash-colour, without the ring round the neck ; but the place of 

 it is marked by a slight yellow tint. The young ones also have 

 no ring, and the colour of the head is not marked ; it varies 

 from rose red to green. 



VARIETIES OF THE CARDINAL PARROT. 



1. The Blossom-headed Parrakeet, LATHAM ; Psittacus erythrocephalus, LINN* i:.-; ; 

 Perruche a tfite rouge de Gingi, BUFFON ; Der Rothkdpfige Sittich aus Gingi, 

 BECHSTEIN. 



THE head is red, having on the back a mixture of light 

 blue. A narrow black line passes from the chin to the nape 

 of the neck ; another line, of light green, below the former, 

 forms with it a ring round the neck. The rest of the plumage- 

 is green, but the under part of the body has a tint of light 

 yellow. The tail is green above, having the inner border light 

 yellow. 



2. The Rose-headed Ring Parrakeet, LATHAM ; Psittacus erythrocephalus Bcnga- 

 lensis, LINN.SUS ; Petite Perruche a tte couleur de rose longs brins, BUFFO N ; 

 Der RothkOpfige Sittich aus Bengalen, BECHSTEIN. 



THE upper mandible is light yellow, the lower black, the 

 membrane brownish. The top of the head and cheeks are rose 

 coloured, the back of the head blue, the throat and ring like 

 the preceding variety, as well as the red spot on the wing- 

 coverts ; the two centre feathers of the tail are blue, the others 

 green, edged with blue. 



