THE SMUTTY PAKKAKEET 



215 



The Pale-headed Parrakeet. 



Platycerciis palUdiceps. 



Queensland and New South Wales. 



Feathers on the nape, back and scapulars black, margined with 

 yellow; upper tail-coverts pale greenish; wings blue, with black patch en 

 cubital wing-eoverts; quills underneath black, central tail-feathers deep 

 blue. Total length 33 inches, wing 6.2 to 6. -5, tail 6.4, bill 0.68, tarsus 

 0.7. The eggs (3 to 5) measure 1.02 x .86 inch. 



There is a good deal of variation in individual specimens, 

 some having no blue on the cheeks, others have scattered red 

 feathers on the head and the upper breast fringed with yellow. 

 This bird is often called Moreton Bay Rosella. It is a bright- 

 coloured bird and very conspicuous and usually found in open 

 forest country. 



The Blue-cheeked Parrakeet. 



Platycercus amatJiusia. 



Northern Territory, North Queensland. 



Very similar to P. palUdiceps, but differs in the cheeks, being almost 

 entirely blue, in the more yellowish tinge of the bluish feathers of the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts, in the yellow tinge of the upper breast, in 

 the greenish tinge of the blue colour of the lower breast and abdomen. 

 Total length 12.5 inches, wing 6, tail -5.8, bill 7, tarsus 0.65. The eggs (4) 

 measure 1 x .79 inch. 



This bird is seldom seen in captivity, being a comparatively 

 rare bird. Two or three are usually seen on the ground together 

 feeding. 



The Smutty Parrakeet. 



Platycercus hrowni. 



Northern Territory and North-west Australia. 



Feathers of the back and scapulars black, bordered with broad band 

 of yellow; rump, upper tail-coverts, breast and abdomen pale yellow, 

 fringed with black; under tail-coverts scarlet, a black patch on the wing- 

 coverts, from the bend of the wing downwards the anterior wing-coverts 

 and outer webs of the secondaries and base of the primaries blue; under 

 wing-coverts blue, central tail feathers blue, the remaining feathers tipped 

 with white. Total length 11 inches, wing 6, tail 6, bill 0.65, tarsus 0.62. 

 The eggs (4) measure .99 x .82 inch. 



This beautiful bird is fairly plentiful in some parts of 

 Northern Australia, going in small flocks, although it is not a 

 common bird in captivity. 



