THE PALM COCKATOO 



201 



Family Cacahiidce. 



Key to Sub 'families. 

 Tail-feathers broad, not pointed. 

 Tail-feathers narrow, and pointed. 



Cacatuinse. 

 CalopsittaeinjB. 



Sub-family Cacatuince. 



Key to the Genera. 



I. Cheek entirely naked; upper mandible much com- 

 pressed, and much narrower than the lower 

 mandible ; feathers of the crest very long and 

 narrow. Microglossus. 



II. Cheeks feathered, outer tail feathers shorter than 

 the others; feathers of the crest broad; bill short, 

 much curved and very high ; general colour brown 

 or black. Calyptorhynchus. 



III. Tail nearly even ; general colour above and below 



grey ; head and crest red in the male ; cere 



feathered. Callocephalum. 



IV. General colour white or rosy-white, except in Cacatua 



roseicapilla, which is grey above, rose-colour on the 

 head and below. Bill with the hook of the upper 

 mandible of the ordinary size and nearly 

 perpendicular. Cacatua. 



V. Bill with the hook of the upper mandible very long, 



slender and projecting forward. Licmetis. 



Genus Microglossus. 



The Palm Cockatoo. 



Microglossus aterrimns. 



North Queensland, New Guinea, and Aru Islands. 



Slaty black, bare clieeks bordered with pale yellow. Total length 29 

 to 31 inches, wing 15, tail 10, bill 4.2, tarsus 1.1. Egg (generally one) 

 measures 2.12 x 1.53 inch. 



This is a very large bird, feeding on fruit and tender parts 

 of the Palm Cabbage and lives in scrub covered country. 



baudini. 

 funereus. 



Genus Cahjptorliynchus. 



Key to the Species. 



I. A light patch on the ear-coverts. 



(a) Tail-band white. C. 



(b) Tail-band yellow. C. 

 IT. No light patch on the ear-coverts; tail-band red in adult 



males, more or less tinged with yellow, and 

 crossed by narrow black bands in young birds 

 and females. 



(a) Head and neck like body, greenish black; 

 larger, total length 24 inches; crest longer, bill 



smaller. C. banksi. 



(b) Bill larger, much more powerful. C. macrorhynchus. 



(c) Smaller, total length 22 inches; crest shorter. C. stellatus. 



(d) Head and neck brown; \ipper parts glossy 

 greenish-black. C. vlridis. 



