pal;eornin^. 261 



150. Palseornis schisticeps, Hodgson. 



As. Ees. XIX., 178— Blyth, Cat. 20— Horsf., Cat. 899— 

 Conurus Himalayanus, Belanger, Voy. — Madana Snga, in Nepal 

 — Pahari tuiya at Mussooree — Gagi of Calcutta bird-dealers. 



The Slaty-headed Parrakeet. 



Descr. — Head lavender or slaty-blue ; chin and narrow band 

 bordering the lavender colour^ black ; general colour of the 

 upper-parts vivid green ; rump and upper tail-coverts with a bluish 

 tinge, a little paler and more yellowish beneath, and tinged 

 about the nape and under wing-coverts with verditer ; a marone 

 Aving-spot in the male, barely indicated in the female ; the two 

 middle tail-feathers green above near the base, then bright blue, 

 and the terminal third yellow ; the other tail-feathers all yellow 

 on the inner web and tip, with the rest of the outer web green ; 

 tail wholly yellow beneath. 



Bill, with the upper mandible, yellow, tinged with coral-red ; 

 the tip and the lower mandible yellow ; irides straw yellow ; orbitar 

 skin slaty ; legs dusky green. 



Length 16 to 17 inches; wing 6^; tail 10; bill at gape | ; 

 height f . 



The black demi-collar is most developed in the male. The 

 young have, in general, only a trace of the slaty cap. 



This Parrakeet is found throughout the lower ranges of the 

 Himalayas, rare in the South-east, for I never saw it myself, and 

 got but one young specimen whilst at Darjeeling. It is, however, 

 found in some of the hill ranges in Assam or Sylhet, for Tytler 

 obtained living specimens at Dacca. Adams says : " its favorite 

 food is seeds of wheat, apricots and pomegranates ; very noisy 

 and gregarious." It is closely allied to P. rosa ; but larger, with 

 a plum-blue instead of a peach-coloured cap. 



151. Palseornis columboides, Yigoks. 



Zool. Jour., 1830 — Lear, Psittacid?e, pi. 31 — Jerdon, Cat. 203 

 — Jerdon, 111. Ind. Orn., pi. 18 — Blyth, Cat. 19— Horsf., Cat. 



