180 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



mens the whole of the crown, occiput, and nape has a well- 

 marked lilac grey tinge. It is quite possible, without seeing the 

 bills, to separate the sexes at once by this difference. 



The tail is as in the male, so that the female figured by 

 Mr. Gould, and which shows nothing of the conspicuous grey 

 brown tino-e which characterizes the terminal halves of the 

 central tail feathers in both sexes, must have had an imperfect 

 tail. Mr. Gould's figure, I should add, scarcely conveys an 

 adequate idea of the great length of the tail in this species, 

 which in a fine female should have been represented nearly four 

 inches longer than he has shown it. The bird too is not nearly 

 so bulky as his drawing represents. 



Davison remarks : — " This species appears to be very much 

 restricted in its distribution, having been obtained only at 

 the Great Nicobars, Kondul Island, and Montschall Island. 

 Unlike most paroquets it does not appear to associate in 

 laro-e flocks, being found usually singly or in pairs, occa- 

 sionally in small parties of five or six. When not feeding 

 it keeps much to the tops of the higher trees ; it has a wild 

 screeching note, (but quite unlike either magnirostris, erythro- 

 genys or fasciatits), which it continually utters both when seated 

 and flying, and I have frequently detected its presence by its 

 note, when I have been quite unable to see it, owing to the dense 

 foliage of the trees. It feeds much on the ripe fruit of the 

 pandanus, so abundant on the inhabited islands of the Nicobar 

 group." 



We had very few opportunities of observing it; its flight is 

 much like that of sivalensis and magnirostris, but more rapid ; 

 it is a noisy bird, and its call can be heard a long way off. We 

 saw numbers, but mostly only for a moment as they dashed 

 past through the trees at heights of from fifty to seventy yards 

 above our heads ; their cries just gave one time to get the gun 

 to one's shoulder, and in less than half a minute from their first 

 becoming visible, they were either falling to the shot, or out of 

 sight. 



152.— Palseornis fasciatus, Mull ? P. Melanor- 

 rliynchus, Wagler. (12). 

 I have already discussed (vide ante, p. 20.) Dr. Finsch's, sup- 

 posed distinct, P. Lathami, I need only say here that we have a 

 fair series from the Andamans and a very much larger series from 

 Sikim, Kumaon, and Tipperah, birds carefully sexed, and a good 

 number of them the most lovely specimens possible to meet with, 

 and it is absolutely certain, beyond any possibility of doubt or 



