PAL^ORNIS AFFINIS, Gould. 



Allied Parrakeet. 



After carefully comparing the bird here represented with the Palceornis Malaccensis, and the description of 

 the bird to which Mr. Blyth has given the name of P. viridimystax, I can come to no other conclusion than 

 that it is quite distinct from, although nearly allied to, both; I have therefore given it a separate designation, 

 that of affinis. That my figure is taken from a fully adult bird, and is not the female of P. Malaccensis, I 

 have but little doubt. In his description of P. mridimystaw, Mr. Blyth states that the back of the neck is 

 green, or if I understand him rightly, the red does not extend round the nape, as in P. Malaccensis. At 

 the end of the year 1857, there were living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society two parrakeets, 

 according pretty nearly with Mr. Blyth's description, but unfortunately they died before they had completed 

 their moulting, — a circumstance to be regretted, inasmuch as if they had lived to complete the change, 

 they would probably have cleared up a point of much interest to me, and enabled me to speak more posi- 

 tively on the subject ; but I do not doubt the specific value of the present bird. In size it assimilates to 

 P. Malaccensis, but it differs in having a bright green instead of a black moustache, and in the colouring 

 of the rump being bluish green instead of verditer-blue. 



No information could be given me by Mr. Moore, of the Derby Museum, as to whence the specimen came, 

 or at what period it was added to the late Earl of Derby's collection. It is doubtless from the East, and 

 probably from Malacca, or one of the islands of the Indian Ocean. 



Crown of the head deep grass-green ; line from the nostrils, through the eye, deep green ; cheeks, sides of 

 the head, and collar at nape pinky red, deepest on the cheeks, and paler on the nape ; from the angle of 

 the beak a broad and lengthened deep green moustache ; centre of the back glaucous green, passing into 

 bright pale green on the rump ; wings green, washed with orange in the centre, passing into greenish blue 

 towards the edge ; both webs of the outer primary and the inner webs of the other primaries brownish 

 black, the outer webs of all but the first blue at the base, passing into the yellowish green of their apical 

 portions ; under surface of the body and under coverts of the wings yellowish green ; lateral tail-feathers 

 grass-green ; the two lengthened middle feathers dark purplish blue ; bill red, upper mandible yellow at the 

 tip ; feet mealy grey. 



The Plate represents the bird of the size of nature. 



