DIE PAPAGEIEN. 7 



account bring" forward evidence which must in part strongly 

 shake the statements of the Indian ornithologists ; since I can 

 bring forward irrefragable proof* that in eight species (torquatus, 

 cyanocephalus, Hod^soni,Alexandri,perist erodes, erytlirogenys, longi- 

 ■caudatus, and caniceps) the male and female are precisely similarly 

 colored, we are certainly entitled to presume that the same is the 

 case in the remaining species in regard to which I have not as 

 yet been able to place the matter beyond doubt. Thus it appears 

 to me tolerably certain that, for instance, in P. eupatrius and 

 eques, as in torquatus, the old females likewise exhibit a neck ring. 



" Otherwise is it with the young, which have generally been 

 given out as females. These exhibit notable variations from 

 the full adult plumage, partly in the absence of the neck ring, of 

 the red breast, or lively coloured head, and partly also in respect to 

 the colouring of the bill. The first plumage of the young may 

 be said to be in all species, an almost uniform green. Very soon, 

 however, the lively coloring of particular parts, which charac- 

 terizes the adult, begins to make its appearance, and then we 

 meet with every possible transitional stage of plumage. These 

 have as yet been far too little observed. 



" Another point which is infinitely more difficult to clear up 

 than that of the coloring of the plumage is that of the bill, and 

 here we encounter many obstacles. Namely in somes species the 

 young exhibit no, or scarcely any, difference in the colour of the 

 bill from the old, as I was able to convince myself in the cases 

 of eupatrius, torquatus, eques, cyanocepAal?is,f Hodgsoni,\ Alex- 

 andri, and melanorhynchus. On the other hand the young of 

 Calthopce,§ Luciani, peristerodes, \\ longicaudatus, erytlirogenys, 9 ^ and 

 caniceps have always a black bill, while in the adult, it, or at 

 any rate, its upper mandible is red. 



* Absolutely no proof at all, as I shall show in the case of six out of these 

 eight species, of which I have personal knowledge. 



f This is wrong, in both the species confounded, as I consider, under this 

 name (of which more hereafter) the nestlings have both mandibles pale yellow, 

 while the adults have the lower mandible black, or blackish. 



X This also is wrong, the nestlings have both mandibles pale yellowish horny, 

 brownish towards the base of the upper mandible, while the adults have the 

 basal half, two-thirds, or three-fourths, (it varies according to individuals) bright red. 



§ I helieve this to be wrong, the upper mandible in both sexes in the young is 

 red. I have not dissected this bird myself, but my specimens of nestlings and 

 birds just able to fly were sexed by Vincent Legge, and other reliable ornitholo- 

 gists. 



|| This is certainly incorrect. All the quite young birds I have examined 

 or received, had the upper mandibles a somewhat brownish red. 



If Two species are here, in my opinion, confounded ; in both, all the very young 

 birds either Davison or I met with, and he saw at least 30, and I at least 20, had 

 both mandibles red. 



