Order PSITTACL] [Fam. TltlCHOGLOSSID^. 



NESTOE NOTABILIS. 



(KEA PARROT.) 



Nestor notabilis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 94. 



Native names. 

 " Kea " of the Maoris ; " Mountain-Parrot" of the colonists. 



<J superne omnino olivaceo-viridis ; plumarum omnium scapis et marginibus nigricantibus : pileo paullo 

 dilutiore, vix canescente : facie laterali magis brunnescente : dorso postico, uropygio ct supracaudalibus 

 sordide cruentatis versus apicem anguste flavicantibus et nigricante marginatis, his imis olivaceo-flavican- 

 tibus : seapularibus et tectricibus alarum dorso concoloribus, his majoribus extus vix cyanesccnte lavatis : 

 remigibus nigricantibus, ala spuria et primariis versus basin cyanescentibus, sceundariis olivaeeo-viridi- 

 bus dorso concoloribus : remigibus subtus pogouio interno versus basin citrino transfasciatis : cauda 

 olivaceo-viridi, supra sordide cyanescente lavata. et fascia nigra anteapicali transnotata, rectricibus 

 subtus flavicante tinctis, et pogonio interno citrino vix aurantiaco dentatis : corpore toto subtus 

 olivaceo-viridi, plumis nigricante marginatis, abdomine dilute aurantiaco lavato : subalaribus et plumis 

 axillaribus lsete scarlatinis, minimis flavicantibus, anguste nigricante terminatis : rosti'o cinerascenti- 

 brunneo, mandibula ad basin lsete flavicante : pedibus flavicanti-olivaceis. 



£ mari simillima, sed sordidior, et plumis nigricante latius marginatis. 



Adult male. General plumage dull olive-green, brighter on the upper parts, with a rich gloss ; each feather 

 broadly tipped and narrowly margined with dusky black, with shaft-lines of the same colour, except on 

 the head, where there is merely a darker shaft-line ; ear-coverts and cheeks olivaceous brown, with darker 

 margins ; feathers on the sides strongly tinged with orange-red ; primaries dusky brown, the outer 

 webs light metallic blue in their basal portion, largely toothed on the inner web with bright lemon- 

 yellow ; secondaries greenish blue, changing to olive on their outer webs, dusky brown on their inner, 

 and toothed with orange-yellow ; lining of the wings and axillary plumes vivid scarlet, with narrow 

 dusky tips; inner coverts, towards the flexure, washed with lemon-yellow; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 bright arterial-red mixed with olive, and prettily vandyked at the tips with dusky black, this colour 

 being richest on the middle tail-coverts and changing on the lateral ones to bright olive shaded with 

 red and tipped with brown ; tail-feathers olive-green on their upper surface, with a fine metallic gloss, 

 paler at the tips, inclining to blue on the outer feathers, the whole crossed near the extremity by a 

 broad band of blackish brown ; the under surface pale olive-green, with the subterminal band less 

 distinct, and broadly toothed on their inner webs with bright lemon-yellow ; under tail-coverts dull 

 olive-green, tipped with brown. Bill greyish brown; lower mandible rich wax-yellow in its basal por- 

 tion; feet yellowish olive, with paler soles. Total length 19'5 ; wing, from flexure, 12'5; tail 7 - 5; bill, 

 along the ridge, 1"75, along the edge of lower mandible 1 ; tarsus 1*5 ; longer fore toe and claw 2-25 ; 

 longer hind toe and claw 2. 



Female. Similar to the male, but having the tints of the plumage generally duller, and the dusky margins of 

 the feathers broader. 



