

87 



synonym of Cyanorhamphus novce-zealandice. In any case there seems to be much 

 uncertainty about the origin of this specimen, and the late Captain Fairchild informed 

 me that he had never been able to get any evidence as to the existence of a Parrakeet on 

 Macquarie Island. 



Count Salvadori (' Cat. B.,' xx., p. 577) treats Cyanorhamphus hochstetteri (Eeischek) from 

 Antipodes Island as distinct from G. erythrotis of Macquarie Island, but I cannot recognise any 

 such distinction. Dr. Forbes C Ibis,' 1893, p. 281) says: "In the British Museum Collection 

 there are two specimens of Cyanorhamphus erythrotis, one without locality, and the other from 

 Macquarie Island, both of which I have most carefully examined and compared with my own 

 specimen from Antipodes Island, now in the British Museum, and I can find nothing by which 

 they can be separated from each other." 



Captain Hutton writes me : " The Hon. H. C. Butler, His Excellency's A.D.C., caught a 

 beautiful yellow variety of Cyanorhamphus erythrotis on Antipodes Island. He has it alive still." 

 I learnt afterwards that it had made its escape from its cage, in Wellington, and was never 

 recovered. 



Order PSITTACIFOBMES.] 



[Family PSITTACIDA 



CYANORHAMPHUS CYANURUS. 



(KEKMADEC-ISLANDS PAEKAKEET.) 



Cyanorhamphus cyanurus, Salvad., Ann. and Mag., N.H., vol. vii., p. 68 (1891). 



I have on several occasions in my communications to the Wellington Philosophical Society 

 referred to the Parrakeet of the Kermadec Islands, with, a bluish-coloured tail. 



This bird has been discriminated by Count Salvadori as a distinct species, on a specimen 

 received from Raoul Island in the Gould Collection (July, 1854), under the above name, and 

 given the following distinguishing characters : — 



Adult male.— Similar to G. novce-zealandice, but larger, and with the tail blue, the two 

 central tail feathers tinged with green on both webs, the remainder on the outer webs towards 

 the base; under wing-coverts and also the longest under tail-coverts tinged with blue; tail 

 underneath dusky olive, darker than in C. novce-zealandice ; iris, red ; bill, black, with the base 

 of the upper mandible silvery grey ; feet, dusky. Total length, 127 inches ; wing, 6*6 ; tail, 6'5 ; 

 bill, about '8; tarsus, "82 ('Cat. Birds, Brit. Mus.,' xx., p. 587). 



Mr. Cheeseman, who collected specimens of a Parrakeet (presumably of this species) on 

 Sunday, Meyer, and Macaulay Islands, states that the bird was being rapidly exterminated by 

 the introduced cats, now run wild. 



Mr. Ernest Bell, of Wellington, had a tame one (obtained at Curtis Island, Kermadec 

 group) for a considerable time. It ultimately went the way of all flesh, and the skin was, I 

 believe, forwarded to the Tring Museum. 



, 



