1878.] DR. H, BURMEISTER ON CONURUS HILARIS. 75 



5. Notes on Conurus hilaris and other Parrots of the Argen- 

 tine "Republic. By Dr. H. Burmeister, F.M.Z.S. 



[Keceived November 19, 1877.] 



During my residence at Tucuman, in the years 1859-60, I saw 

 several flights of six or eight of a long-tailed parrot, of which I was 

 not able to obtain a specimen, although the birds came every week 

 during the maturing-time of the Indian corn to the garden of the 

 house in which I lived, and did much damage to the seeds of the 

 plants cultivated there. This bird, while it had the same habit of 

 plundering the gardens as the other Parrots inhabiting this country 

 (for example Conurus patagonus and C. murinus), was also, like its 

 fellows, very cautious, some of them keeping watch on the top of the 

 highest plants, and, as soon as any one appeared with gun in hand, 

 giving a quick cry of alarm, upon which the whole flock flew away. 

 On this account I was unable to obtain a single specimen of this 

 beautiful bird, which I have not seen in any other part of this country, 

 and which I recognized at once, even at a distance, as new to my 

 collection, from its large red front. At last I found a living specimen 

 in the possession of a shop-keeper, who would not part with it, 

 having reared it from the nest and made a great favourite of it. 

 But I was able to observe more carefully the specific distinctness of 

 this bird than from a distance ; and from this examination I made 

 the description published in my ' Reise durch die La Plata- Staaten,' 

 vol. ii. p. 442, as follows : — 



Size and colour of Conurus murinus ; whole plumage bright green, 

 only the forehead at the base of the bill blood-red. Bill, in life, 

 pale rose-colour, or quite white in old individuals. Carpal region 

 green ; the wing-feathers blackish, becoming bluer towards the 

 margins. Tail narrow and cuneiform, greenish towards the margins, 

 red at the base and below. Legs light flesh-colour. Iris orange. 

 Whole length 10 inches, wing 5, tail 4^. 



This short description, the only one I was able to give at the time, 

 was not sufficient to make the species thoroughly known. I there- 

 fore wrote to my friends at Tucuman, as soon as I returned to 

 Buenos Aires in the year 1862, to send me specimens of this 

 interesting Parrot ; but all my solicitations, though repeated many 

 times, were without effect. I never obtained a single specimen, 

 although the bird is not rare in the vicinity of the large forests on 

 the western sides of the town, near the slopes of the mountains, and 

 sometimes very common. 



At last my friend Dr. Bruland, physician at Tucuman, an excel- 

 lent collector who had forwarded me many interesting objects for 

 my collection, brought me two well-preserved skins ; and some 

 months before, Mr. Holmberg, of Buenos Aires, who made a 

 journey to collect zoological objects in the northern provinces, 

 brought home from Salta a skin of the same species, which I was 

 able to compare with the other two now in the Public Museum of 

 Buenos Aires. 



