Order PSITTACI.] 



[Fam. PLATYCERCIDJE 



PLATYCEECUS AUEICEPS. 



(YELLOW -FRONTED PARRAKEET.) 



Platycercus auriceps, Kuhl, Consp. Psittac. p. 46 (1820). 



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Platycercus auriceps. Vigors, Zool. Journ. i. p. 531 (1825). 

 Platycercus novce zelandice^ Bourjot St.-Hilaire, Perroq. t. 37 (1837). 

 Euphema auriceps, Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 72 (1854). 

 Gyanoramphus auriceps^ Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. vi. p. 153 (1854). 

 Cyanoramphus malherbi, Souance, Rev. et Mag. de Zool. ix. p. 98 (1857^ 

 Platycercus malherhii^ Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus. Psitt. p. 14 (1859). 

 Coriphilus auriceps^ Schlegel, Dierent. p. 77 (1864), 

 Platycercus alpinus, BuUer, Ibis, 1869, p. 39. 



Native names. 

 The same as those applied to the preceding species. 



Ad. P. novce zealandice similis, sed valde minor, et vertice aureo, fronte punicea facile distinguendus. 



Adult male. General plumage beautiful grass-green, paler, or more suffused with yellow on the underparts. 

 A band of dark crimson connects the eyes, passing across the forehead, immediately above the nostrils ; 

 upper part of forehead and crown golden yellow; on the nape a basal spot of yellowish white, apparent 

 only on moving the feathers ; on each side of the rump a conspicuous spot of crimson ; quills dusky 

 black, crossed on their under surface with a band of pale yellow ; the outer web of the bastard quills 

 and first four primaries, with their coverts, indigo-blue, narrowly margined with yellow. Irides pale 

 cherry -red; upper mandible bluish -white at the base, black towards the tip; under mandible bluish 

 black; feet pale brown. Extreme length 9 inches; wing, from flexure, 4*2; tail 475; culmen -65; 

 tarsus -65 ; longer fore toe and claw 1 ; longer hind toe and claw *9. 



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Youna. The frontal band is orange, and the vertex pale yellow ; and there is an absence of the yellow element 

 in the general plumage, which is of a cold pure green, much paler on the underparts; the rump-spots, 

 moreover, are smaller and less conspicuous, being orpiment-orange instead of crimson. 



Varieties. Like the preceding bird, this species also exhibits abnormally coloured varieties. A young bird, 

 brought to me from the nest, and not fully fledged, had the plumage of the body pale yellow, shaded 

 with green on the upper parts, and the quills and tail-feathers marked with red. Another had nume- 



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reus light crescentic marks on the wing- coverts. In the summer of 1863 I obtained a very beautiful 

 variety at Manawatu. I found it in the hands of a labouring settler, who had purchased it from the 

 natives for something less than a shilling. Finding him unwilling to part with it, I tempted him with 

 a guinea, and secured the prize. It was a bird of the first year, and presented the following appear- 

 ance : — Frontal band crimson, vertex golden yellow ; space around the eyes and a band encircling the 



