BuLLER. — On Platycei'cus unicolor. 121 



a broad central streak of blackish brown, thus indicating a transition to the 

 moi'e variegated plumage ; and Dr. Garland, who dissected the specimen, 

 informs me that it proved to be a male. 



There is no specimen of Ardetta maculata in the British Museum ; and 

 Mr. Gould informs me that his only examples of the bird were sent with the 

 rest of his Australian collection to America many years ago. I have not, 

 therefore, had any opportvmity of investigating the subject further in this 

 country. 



Art. XXYII. — Note on Platycercus unicolor in the British Museum. 

 By Walter L. Buller, D.Sc, F.L.S., etc. 



(With Illustrations.) 

 [Received hy the Wellington Philosophical Society, March, 1874.]* 

 On" my first visit, in company with the late Mr, G. R. Gray, to the fine 

 collection of Parrakeets in the galleries of the British Museum, a mounted 

 specimen standing on the same shelf with Platycercus novce-zealandice and 

 P. auriceps immediately arrested my attention. My companion informed 

 me that this was the type of Platycercus unicolor (Vigors), and that it was 

 supposed to have come from New Zealand. On further enquiry I found that 

 the bird had come to the Museum from the Zoological Society's Gardens, 

 where it had lived for some time ; that its origin was unknown, and that the 

 specimen was quite unique. It will be seen, therefore, that there is no authority 

 for regarding it as a New Zealand bird ; although, from the close relation it 

 bears to P. novce-zealandice, it may, I think, be fairly inferred that it belongs 

 to the same zoological province, and is an inhabitant of some part of Polynesia. 

 It must be borne in mind that our P. novce-zealandice is not confined to New 

 Zealand, but spreads over about thirty-two degrees of latitude, the range of 

 the species extending from Macquarrie Island (lat. 55° S.) to New Caledonia 

 (lat. 23° S.). 



My present object in bringing the species before the notice of the Society 

 is to prevent its being again confounded with Platycercus novce-zealandice, 

 from which it is unqiiestionably distinct. In my " Further Notes on the 

 Ornithology of New Zealand," published in a former volume of the 

 "Transactions" (Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. III., pp. 37—56), I stated that 

 Dr. Pinsch's supposition of its being the ordinary young state of P. novce- 

 zealandice was entirely incorrect ; but I expressed, at the same time, a belief 



* Dated at London 30tli December, 1873. 



