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and on the back and rump ; whilst the primaries on the left wing are yellowish-white at 

 their tips. 



A specimen which I have received from Auckland has the back, rump, and upper surface 

 of wings irregularly marked with yellow, and the sides of the face, foreneck and breast washed 

 with yellow ; tail entirely yellow, slightly clouded with grey. In other respects the plumage 

 is normal ; but the bird is somewhat smaller than ordinary specimens. 



A specimen received from Dunedin has the whole of the abdomen washed with lemon- 

 yellow; also the vertex along the edges of the crimson cap. A specimen which I shot at 

 Eketahuna, in the Forty-mile Bush, has the frontal and uropygial spots delicately edged with 

 yellow, and the tail-feathers tipped with blue. 



At Tapuaeharuru, on the Taupo Lake, I saw a fine caged example of this species in 

 which the crown and sides of the head had a wash of yellow over the green. 



There is a remarkable example of this widely-spread species in the Southland Museum. 

 The curator (Mr. Eraser) very courteously unscrewed the face of the glass case containing it, 

 to enable me to make a closer inspection. Forehead and front part of vertex, as well as the 

 ear-coverts, dark-crimson; the whole of the body-plumage bright yellow, varied more or less 

 on the upper surface, and washed on the neck with green ; bastard quills and outer webs of 

 first four primaries, in their basal portion, blue ; the rest of the primaries brownish-grey, clouded 

 with darker grey on their inner webs ; the fifth primary in each wing yellowish-white, the outer 

 vane changing to yellowish green towards the base ; the two middle tail-feathers dark-green, 

 edged and tipped with yellow, and the lateral ones varied and clouded with green ; the under 

 tail-coverts washed with green. Bill normal; feet pale brown. This specimen is marked 

 u Female," and there is a note attached stating that it was obtained in December, 1876. 



Specimens brought from Macaulay Island, in the Kermadec group, do not differ in any 

 respect from the New Zealand bird. An example of the latter has come into my possession 

 in which the entire abdomen is greenish-yellow, whilst there is a narrow halo of the same 

 colour around the frontal spot of crimson. 



I have examined a caged Parrakeet brought by Mr. Ernest Bell from Curtis Island, 

 situated a few miles from Sunday Island, in the Kermadec Group, where also this Parrakeet 

 was abundant till the introduction of the domestic cat, which soon killed it off. I can 

 detect no difference from the New Zealand bird. It is of decidedly small size (probably a female), 

 and there is a blue tinge on the tail-feathers ; but I take these to be merely individual pecu- 

 liarities. Macaulay Island, where a distinct species closely allied to C. novce-zealandice is said 

 to exist, lies about a degree distant from Sunday Island. 



Mr. Alexander Macdonald, of the Awahuri, mentioned to me a curious incident which 

 had come under his own observation. His young people had obtained a nest of young Parra- 

 keets, and succeeded in rearing them. When adult, two of the birds mated and became quite 

 inseparable, always occupying the same perch, and cuddling up to each other in the most 

 affectionate manner. One day the male bird made his escape from the cage, and in being- 

 recaptured had his tail pulled out. Thus dismantled, the fugitive went back to his cage in 

 a very sorry plight. The female bird immediately discarded her disfigured mate, rejected all 

 his advances, and before long paired with one of the other birds, whose caudal appendage was 

 the very pink of perfection. But the curious part of the story has yet to come. In course 

 of time the divorced lover had renewed his tail, and then the inconsistent lady forsook her 

 second mate and restored to favour her " first love" in all the glory of his long, new tail. 

 Not a bad proof, I think, that even birds are not insensible to the charms of personal appearance. 

 It may be added that the last-deserted mate forthwith moped, refused to eat food, and died 

 of a broken heart. 



