62 



neck green ; head, shoulders, and lower part of back red, the intermediate space variegated with red and 

 green ; quills dusky, obscurely banded with yellow, and margined on the outer web with blue ; wing- 

 coverts greenish yellow, barred and margined with red ; tail-feathers green, obscurely barred with yellow 

 in their apical portion ; underparts green, variegated with crimson and yellow, an interrupted band of 

 the former colour crossing the breast. Like the spotted variety of PL nova zealandice already men- 

 tioned, within a short time it commenced to moult, and was fast assuming the common green livery of 

 the species, when it was accidentally killed. This specimen, which still exhibits traces of its original 

 colours, belongs now to the typical collection in the Colonial Museum. 



Obs. This species is very readily distinguished from all the other members of the group of Platycerci by its 

 beautiful golden vertex. Individuals vary both in size and in the brilliancy of their plumage. The type 

 of Platycercus malherbii, in the British Museum, received from the Auckland Islands, and characterized 

 by Souance as " encore plus petit que Vuuriceps," is nothing but a very small example of this species. 

 There is an equally small one in the same collection from the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Some 

 specimens exhibit the yellow vertex stained more or less with crimson. 



The Yellow-fronted Parrakeet, although generally dispersed over the country in all suitable 

 localities, is more plentiful than the red-fronted species in the northern parts of the North Island, 

 and less so as we approach Cook's Strait. In the South Island, however, the two species appear 

 to be more equally distributed. Notwithstanding the arguments advanced in the paper read by 

 me before the Wellington Philosophical Society in June 1869*, and the important fact cited, 

 that a caged specimen, at least five years old, exhibited the plumage characteristic of my Platy- 

 cercus alpinus, I have come to the conclusion that Dr. Finsch is right in considering this the 

 young state of PI. auriceps. The particular case in question must find its explanation in the 

 tendency to individual variation in this species, some remarkable instances of which are noticed 

 above. 



In habits this bird closely resembles the preceding one ; but it is less gregarious, being seen 

 generally in pairs. It loves to frequent the tutu bushes (Coriaria ruscifolia), to regale itself on 

 the juicy berries of this bushy shrub ; and on these occasions it is easily snared by the natives, 

 who use for that purpose a flax noose at the end of a slender rod. When feeding on the tutu- 

 berry, the whole of the interior becomes stained of a dark purple. When the wild dock has 

 run to seed, this pretty little Parrakeet repairs to the open fields and feasts on the ripe seeds of 

 that noxious weed. At other seasons the berries of Coprosma lucida, Fuchsia eoccorticata, and 

 other forest-shrubs afford it plentiful and agreeable nutriment. 



In captivity it is very gentle and tractable, but it is far inferior to the larger red-fronted bird 

 in its talking-capacity. One or two instances of its being taught to articulate words of two 

 syllables have come to my knowledge ; but as a rule the attempt to instruct it ends in failure. 



Like its congener it nests in hollow trees, and lays from five to eight eggs, resembling those 

 of Plati/ccrcus novce zealandice, but smaller. Specimens in my collection measure -9 in length by 

 •75 hi breadth. 



Major Mair informs me that he watched a pair of these birds breeding in the cavity of a dead 



tree for three successive seasons. The first year's brood numbered five, the second eight, and the 



third seven. 



* Transactions of the New-Zealand Institute, 1S09, vol. ii. p. 386. 



