58 Mr. Vigois's Sketches in Ornithology/. 



son of the head and of the spot on the shoulders will still retain 

 their original strength of colouring. If we make allowances for 

 these usual changes in either of the above mentioned species, 

 M e shall have before us the Psit. Narcissus of Dr. Latham. 



The station which the group of Palceornis appears to hold 

 among the Psittacidce seems to be nearly typical, if not entirely 

 so, in that primary section, or subfamily, which is familiarly 

 known to us by the title of long-tailed Parrukeets^ and to the 

 French naturalists by the name of P er ruche s ; and which has 

 been separated by M. Kuhl from the other subdivisions of the 

 family under the sectional name of Conurus. Among the groups 

 of that subfamily the genus before us exhibits the greatest de- 

 "velopement of its leading character, in the superiour length of the 

 tail ; a peculiarity, which is rendered strikingly conspicuous by 

 the prolongation of the two middle tail feathers beyond the rest. 

 In the length of the bill also it seems to hold a central situation 

 in the same subfamily, between the extremes on each side. The 

 corresponding subdivisions of the Psittacidos which adjoin the 

 present subdivision of Conurus^ are, on one side, the genus Macro- 

 cercus of M. Vieillot, or the group which we call Maccaws ; and, 

 on the other, that group of short-tailed Parrakeets, which M. 

 Brisson denominates Psittacula. The former of these, or the 

 Maccaws^ are noted for the shortness of their bill, that member 

 although strong being considerably abbreviated in comparison to 

 the size of the bird, more particularly the under mandible, which 

 is bent inwards, and almost appears at times to lie concealed 

 within the feathers of the jaws. On the other hand the short or 

 even-tailed tribes, which seem to form the typical groups of the 

 Psittacidce in general, have their bill, comparatively speaking, 

 lengthened ; the under mandible in particular being much ex- 

 tended, and in some instances having the upper margin nearly 

 straight. Now on examining the subfamily to which Palceornis 

 belongs, we shall find that it consists of a series of groups, distin- 

 guished from each other by strong generick peculiarities, but fol- 

 lowing each other by a gradual and perceptible prolongation of 

 the bill which unites the abbreviated bill of the Maccaws to the 

 more lengthened bill of the i-^\ncd\ Psitlacidw, and at the same 



