PALCEORNIS SCHISTICEPS, Hodg*. 



Slaty-headed Parrakeet. 



Palaornis schisticeps, Hodgs. Asiat. Res., vol. xix. p. 178.~Gray, Zool. Misc., p. 85.— lb. Cat. of Spec, and Draw. 



of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mus. byB. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 113.— Blyth, Journ. Asiat. 



Soc. Beng., vol. x. p. 925, and vol. xix. p. 232.— lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 5. 



— Tytler in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd ser. vol. xiv. p. 175.— Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 152. 



-De Souance, Rev. Zool. 1856, p. 158.— Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. ii. p. 615. 

 Madhana suga of the Nepalese (Hodgson). 

 Puhari Tuiya (" Mountain Tuiya "), Masuri, Hutton. 

 Gagi of Calcutta Bird-dealers, Blyth. 



The native habitat of the Palceornis schisticeps is the lower and warmer slopes of the great Himalayan Chaiu 

 of Mountains, along which it appears to enjoy a wide range, extending at least from Nepaul to their western 

 extremity ; it is, however, as far as I am aware, as exclusively an inhabitant of these magnificent mountains 

 as the P. columbdides is of the Neilgherries, — a circumstance at which we need not feel surprise, the physical 

 characters of the two ranges being so different that we might naturally expect to find that each possessed a 

 fauna peculiarly its own. In point of affinity, I consider the bird under consideration to be more intimately 

 allied to the P. torquatus and P. Aleocandri than to the P. Columbdides ; and this view is confirmed by obser- 

 vation of its actions and disposition in confinement, ample opportunities for which are at present afforded 

 by the Menagerie of the Zoological Society ; it is, however, a species of considerable rarity, and is not to be 

 found in every collection. We find but few original notes on record respecting this bird. 



Dr. Griffith observed it in flocks at Pushut : Captain Boys met with it on the tall hill west of Bhurthal, 

 June 15th, 1842. Captain Tytler, in his interesting paper on the Fauna of Dacca, mentions that "the 

 Palceornis schisticeps, at all times a rare bird in the markets of Bengal, are to be had in those of Dacca." 

 Mr. Blyth states that " the adult sexes differ, in the male having a small maroon spot on the wing which is 

 absent, or barely indicated, in the female, and the black demi-collar rather more developed. The young 

 have generally but a trace of the slaty blue cap, but it is fully developed in some few specimens, though 

 without the black demi-collar which borders the cap in the adult : " and Mr. Hodgson informs us that the 

 irides are straw-colour, the orbital skin slaty, and the legs dusky green ; but it would seem that some diver- 

 sity occurs in the colouring of these parts, as the birds living at the Gardens of the Zoological Society have 

 the eyes dark, the orbits yellowish olive, and the feet mealy olive, as represented in my Plate. 



Head dark slate-grey, chin and moustaches black ; fore part at the neck and breast very light green ; back 

 of the neck verditer-green, presenting a marked contrast to the dark slate-coloured head ; all the upper 

 surface grass-green, under surface similar, but paler ; wings dark grass-green, with a patch of dark maroon- 

 red on the centre of the coverts ; primaries broadly margined with green, the extreme edge being yellow ; 

 the inner webs dark brown ; two centre tail-feathers green at the base, blue in the middle and yellow at the 

 tip ; lateral feathers yellow, broadly margined with light green on the basal portions of their outer webs ; 

 all the under surface of the tail wax-yellow ; upper mandible scarlet, under mandible paler. 



The Plate represents the bird of the natural size. The beautiful plant is the Thibaudia macrantha. 



