PAL^ORNIS CALTHEOPtE. 



(LAYARD'S PARRAKEET.) 



(Peculiar to Ceylon.) 



Palaiornis ealthropas (Layard), Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1849, xviii. p. 800; id. Cat. B. Mus. 

 A. S. B. p. 340 (1849) ; Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 127 (1852) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. 1854, xiii. p. 263; Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zoo!. 1854, p. 263; Gray, List 

 Psittacidse Brit. Mus. p. 22 (1859) ; Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Psittaci, p. 83 (1862) ; Finsch, 

 Papageien, p. 53 (1868); Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 426; Layard, P. Z. S. 1873, 

 p. 204*; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 14; Hume, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 18; Gould, B. of Asia, 

 pt. xxvi. (1874); Legge, Str. Feath. 1875, p. 200; Warden, Ibis, 1874, p. 288. 



Palceornis cathrapce, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 294. 



Palceornis girronieri, 3. & E. Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1853, p. 195. 



Psittacus viridicollis, Cassin, Pr. Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 373. 



LayarcVs Purple-headed Parrakeet (Kelaart) ; The Ceylon Parrakeet, The Hill-Parrot, 

 Europeans in Ceylon. 



Alloo-girawa, Sinhalese, Central Province. 



d ad. supra griseseens fiavido aduinbratus, capite purius pallide purpurascenti-griseo, fronte, loris, regione parotica et 

 facie antica viridibus : regione parotica postica pileo concolori, genis posticis nigris ad fasciain brevem cervicalem 

 nigram productis : collo postico Irate smaragdineo fasciam collarein conspicuam forinante : ala saturate viridi, remi- 

 gibus intus nigris, tectricibus alarum interioribus fiavicanti-viridibus : dorso postico, uropygio et supracaudalibus 

 pallide purpureis, his vix fiavido lavatis : cauda sordide purpurea, rectricibus flavo terniinatis, exterioribus quoque 

 intus sordide viridibus, extus purpureis : corpore subtus Irate viridi, gutture imo et prrapectore smaragdineo lavatis : 

 subeaudalibus et cauda subtus flavis, illis viridi lavatis : subalaribus smaragdineis, majoribus et remigibus infra 

 cinerascentibus : maxilla scarlatina, mandibula saturate rubra, apicaliter flavS : pedibus fuscescenti-viridibus : 

 iride flavicanti-alba. 



2 ad. mari similis, sed mandibula nigra, distinguenda. 



Adult male and female. Length to front of cere 10-6 to 11-0 inches ; culmen 1-05 ; total length of the larger about 

 12-1; wing 5-4 to 5'6 ; tail 5 - 8 ; tarsus 0*6 ; outer anterior toe and claw 0-98 to l'O ; greatest height of upper 

 mandible - 47. 



Male. Iris yellow-white, or white, or greenish white, with a bluish-grey outer circle ; cere dusky greenish ; bill, upper 

 mandible coral-red, yellowish at tip, lower dusky red ; legs and feet dusky greenish, plumbeous green, or plumbeous. 



Head, nape, and cheeks faded leaden blue, changing into green on the region round the eye and at the base of the upper 

 mandible, and bleudiug into a broad black border below the cheeks, which extends across the throat (more so in 

 some specimens than in others) ; across the hind neck a broad emerald-green collar, blending into the green of 

 the chest and under surface ; the hind neck below the collar, interscapulars, and scapulars greenish grey, with a 

 bluish cast, changing into pale greyish blue on the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the latter part tinged 

 with green on the longer feathers. 



Wings green, the median secondary coverts pale at the extremities; lesser coverts just above the forearm bluish ; 1st 

 primary and inner webs of all the quills brown ; tail French blue, tipped deeply with yellow, the inner webs of all 

 the lateral feathers washed, and the outer webs finely edged with green ; the tail beneath yellowish ; under tail- 

 coverts yellowish, tipped and edged green ; under wing-coverts green. 



* I am informed that the correct orthography of this Parrakeet's specific name should be calthorjoce, as the familv 

 nauie was Calthorp, and not Calthrop. However, Layard says here, " I have to thank Mr. Holdsworth for restoring 

 the true reading of this name." I therefore leave the matter as it is. 



2a 



