286 Mr. ViGORs's and Dr. Hoesfield's Description of t lie 



There was no specimen of this species in the collection ori- 

 ginally brought to this country by Mr. Caley. That gentleman, 

 however, makes the following reference to this bird, when speak- 

 ing of the N. pulchellus. " What is called the Ground Parrot at 

 Sydney inhabits the scrubs in that neighbourhood. I have also 

 seen it in similar situations elsewhere. I have never seen it 

 except on the wing ; it having started up before me, taking a 

 short flight, and alighting among the bushes, but never to my 

 knowledge upon them."- — Our specimen was obtained by Mr. 

 Brown at Port Phillip, January 25th, 1804. 



Genus. Pal.tiornis*. 



Rostrum subcrassum ; mandihula superiore dilatatâ, culmine ro- 



tundo : inferiore lata, brevi, emarginata. 

 Ala médiocres ; remigibus tribus extimis ferè œqualibus, longis- 



simis ; secundee tertiœ et quartœ pogoniis externis in medio 



gradatim latioribus. 

 Cauda gradata ; rcctricibiis duabus mediis gracillimis, cœteras 



longitudine magnopere excedentibus. 

 Pedes; t arsis brevibus, debilibus ; unguibus mediocribus, sub- 



gracilibus, falcatis. 

 Corpus gracile, concinnum. 



The birds of this genus, which are of peculiar interest as 

 having formed the group of Parrots known to the ancients, are 

 distinguished at once from those of the conterminous genera by 

 the form of the tail, in which the two middle feathers con- 

 siderably exceed the others in length. Other distinguishing 

 characters may also be observed on comparing the generic de- 

 scriptions. The group belongs chiefly to India, and some of 

 the neighbouring islands in the Indian Ocean. One species 

 only has been found in New Holland. This seems to possess 



* UxXmos antiquus, and ogvij avis. 



the 



