THE CARDINAL PARROT. 129 



half. The upper mandible is a light ashen grey, the lower 

 darker, and often blackish. The naked membrane of the beak is 

 a light grey ; the circle of the eyes dark yellow, orange, and 

 whitish ; the iris orange, the feet light grey, mottled with flesh 

 colour. The forehead is scarlet, the top of the head a bright 

 blue, lightest behind ; the upper part of the body is grass- 

 green, the under part lighter. The large pen feathers are blue 

 upon the outer edge, and sometimes scarlet at the root. The 

 tail, of which the two centre feathers are above three inches 

 and a half longer than the rest, is dark green on the upper 

 side, on the lower brownish green. 



The female is probably reddish yellow on the forehead, and 

 light yellow on the circle of the eyes. 



Observations. This bird, which is a native of South Ame- 

 rica, is to be treated like the others above mentioned. It is 

 very handsome in appearance, but never learns to talk well. 



30. THE CARDINAL PARROT. 

 Le Perruche Cardinale, BUF. Der Cardinal Sittich, BECH. 



Description. This bird, about the size of a Turtle-dove, is 

 twelve inches long ; of which the wedge-shaped tail, whose 

 two centre feathers are four inches longer than the others, 

 measures six inches and three quarters. The beak is a peach- 

 blossom red ; its membrane ashen grey ; the iris yellowish red ; 

 the feet grey. The whole of the head is violet, shot with blue 

 and red ; round the neck runs a black band ; the throat is black ; 

 the upper part of the body dark green, the lower part light 

 green. The root of the tail is light yellow ; the two middle 

 leathers blue tipped with white ; the rest yellowish green, like 

 the under tail. The female has a yellow beak, a dark ash 

 blue head, and no band round the neck, but the place which it 

 should occupy slightly marked with yellow. 



In young birds the colour of the head is not distinct, but is 

 sometimes rose-red, and sometimes green. The band round the 

 neck is also wanting. 



Varieties of the Cardinal Parrot. 



A. THE BLOSSOM-HEADED PARRAKEET, Lot. Psittacus Erythroce- 

 phalus, LIN. f'eruche a tete rouge de Gingi, BUF. Der rothkbpfige 

 Sittich aus Gingi, BECH. 

 The head is red,-shaded with light blue, especially at the back, 



