PARROTS 167 



Ring-necked Parrakeet (P. torquata). It is about six- 

 teen inches long, including the narrow, tapering tail. The 

 male is green in general, with a rosy collar on the hind neok, 

 each extremity meeting a black band which passes backward 

 from the base of the lower mandible. A second black band 

 joins the eye and nostril. The female is somewhat smaller 

 and lacks the head markings. This is a freely imported 

 species, and frequently learns to speak. It is easily bred, if 

 given an aviary of good size. 



The Indian Ring or Alexandrine Parrakeet (P. 

 nepalensis) is the giant of the genus, measuring about 

 twenty inches. Its markings are very similar to those of 

 the preceding species, with the addition of a large, rosy 

 patch on the wing coverts. This, or one of three other 

 closely allied forms, is believed to be the bird brought to 

 Europe by Alexander the Great, in the third century, b.c. 



The Banded Parrakeet (P. fasciata) has a wide range 

 in southern and central Asia. It is mostly green, with gray 

 head, vinaceous chest and yellowish-green wing patches. It 

 has the black cheek and face stripes of the foregoing species, 

 but the nuchal collar is green instead of rosy in the male. 

 The upper mandible is red and the lower black, but the 

 entire beak is black in the female. This bird is commonly 

 confused with the very similar Javan Parrakeet (P. alex- 

 andri), which is distinguished by having both mandibles 

 red, in both male and female. 



Neither of these birds is active or intelligent in captivity, 

 and in this country both seem difficult to acclimatize. 



The Blossom-headed Parrakeet (P. cyanocephala) is 

 found in India and Ceylon. The male is of the usual green 

 shade, with black mandibular stripes. The entire head is 

 a rich plum red, and there is a small red mark on the wing 

 coverts. The female is smaller and duller and lacks the 

 red wing patch. Although not imported as frequently as 



