PLATE II 



An Apparently Heretofore Unfigured Plumage of 

 Conuropsis carolinensis 



By Henry Thurston 



IN going over the collection of North American birds owned by the Hon- 

 orable John Lewis Childs of Floral Park, N. Y., I came across the skin 

 of the Carolina Paroquet (Co>nuropsis carolinensis) in a phase of plumage en- 

 tirely different from any I have ever seen. 



The colors of the body and wings were nearly identical to those of the 

 adult bird except for being slightly brighter with the quill edgings more 

 yellow, also the bend of the wing was just acquiring the yellowish orange 

 feathers that are possessed by the mature bird. The most striking differ- 

 ence was shown by the head, which was entirely green excepting the fore- 

 head and lores, these two regions bearing orange feathers tipped with crim- 

 son that gives the appearance of a reddish film over the predominating fore- 

 head color. 



I received permission to compare this skin with the extensive series 

 that the American Museum of Natural History possesses, and found none 

 there approaching this specimen in color, though an interesting one seem- 

 ingly a few stages in advance of Mr. Childs' Paroquet was found. This 

 shows considerable yellow feather mixed with the green covering of the 

 head. My search for an ornithologist familiar with this phase of plumage 

 met with no better success. 



Several of our leading bird men stated they had never before observed 

 a " Poll " in this plumage, and one questions the normality of it. 



An investigation of literature gave some clues, making it quite proba- 

 ble that this skin is a typical first year bird. Audubon does not seem to be 

 very well acquainted with such a stage of plumage as he does not figure it 

 and describes the young as having a green head. In the biography of the 

 species preceding his description he mentions that toward autumn a front- 

 let of carmine appears. This band might appear carmine in the field, so 

 one may suppose the great naturalist never had a bird in the plumage as 

 here figured in his hands. 



Wilson refers to a plumage similar to the one under discussion, but also 

 fails to figure it. 



It is probable that this is the only existing skin of a juvenal Carolina 

 Paroquet, and if so its value is greatly enhanced, scientifically, by the fact 

 that it was collected by Mr. A. T. Wayne. This means a beautiful, smooth 



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