PALtEORNIS COLUMBOIDES, vig. 



Blue-wing-ed Parrakeet. 



Palceomis columbo'ides, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. v. p. 274. — Lear, 111. Psitt., pi. 31. — Bourj. St. Hil. Coll. de 

 Perr., pis. 3 and 3 a. — Jerd. Madras Journ., vol. xi. p. 209. pi. 3.— lb. 111. Ind. Orn., pi. 18. — Gray 

 and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 410, Palaornis, sp. 9. — Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 

 vol. xvi. p. 475, and vol. xix. p. 204. — lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 5. — 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. 614. 



Psittacus melanorhynchus, Sykes in Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc, Part ii. p. 96 (female). 



Blue-winged Parrakeet, Jerdon. 



Psittacus (Conurus) Himalayanus, Less, in Belanger's Voy. aux Ind. Orient., p. 239. 



That this is a beautiful and extremely elegant species of Parrakeet, no one I think can gainsay, for it is as 

 graceful in its contour as it is chaste and delicate in its colouring. However beautiful well-prepared skins 

 may be, they are poor indeed when compared with the hues of the fresh-moulted bird, in which both harmony 

 and contrasts combine to render them in every way pleasing ; the colours, moreover, are very unusual 

 among the feathered race, vinous grey, verditer-green, black and scarlet being seldom found in such close 

 proximity as in the upper parts of the male of the bird figured on the accompanying Plate. 



The native country of the Palceornis Coliimbo'ides is India proper, and it does not, I believe, even visit the 

 southern slopes of the Himalayas, but confines itself to the range of hills which stretch along the western 

 side of the Peninsula, and are known by the name of the Ghauts and Neilgherries. Vigors had the honour 

 of first naming this lovely bird, and Colonel Sykes that of making us acquainted with the female, which, 

 however, deceived by the black colouring of the bill, he regarded as distinct, and characterized in the "Pro- 

 ceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society " as Palcsornis melano- 

 rhynchus. In all probability both sexes have the black bill at an early period of their existence ; and I think 

 it likely that the male does not acquire the red bill or the delicate colouring of the plumage until after its 

 second year. It is a species that bears confinement remarkably well, and at the moment I am writing, fine 

 examples of both sexes are living in the rich Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London. 



Mr. Jerdon informs us that he " first procured this elegantly coloured Parrakeet at Trichoor, and after- 

 wards in various other localities on the west coast, and on the sides of the Neilgherries, up to a height of 

 5000 feet. It probably extends for some distance along the range of the Western Ghauts. It keeps entirely 

 to the depths of the forests, and only frequents the loftiest trees. Its flight is very rapid and elegant, and 

 it associates in small flocks. Its cry, though similar in character to the harsh call of the Common Parrakeet, 

 is much more mellow, subdued, and agreeable. It feeds on fruit and berries of various kinds." 



Face, space around the eye, and a narrow line across the forehead grass-green, the band across the fore- 

 head changing posteriorly to bluish green ; chin and collar surrounding the neck black, succeeded by a 

 second collar of verditer-green; crown, nape, and sides of the head, back of the neck, upper part of the 

 back, breast, and abdomen vinous grey ; lower part of the back glaucous green, changing to grass-green on 

 the upper tail-coverts ; vent and thighs washed with green ; wings deep green, the coverts narrowly fringed 

 with yellow ; primaries brownish black, all but the external one broadly margined with blue, the extreme 

 edge being pale or grass-green ; two central tail-feathers blue, blending into the pale yellow of their tips ; 

 lateral tail-feathers light grass-green on their external webs, and gamboge-yellow on the inner ones ; under 

 surface of the tail rich wax-yellow ; upper mandible scarlet, under one paler ; irides straw-yellow ; feet 

 mealy grey. 



Colonel Sykes, when describing his P. melanorhynchus, says, " This bird has the aspect of P. Columbdides, 

 but diners in the black bill, broad black collar, pale green-yellow beneath instead of dove-colour, and in the 

 want of the metallic green narrow collar and bluish rump," which characteristics are now known to per- 

 tain to the female or young male. 



The Plate represents a male and a female, or young male, of the natural size. The plant is the Dendro- 

 bium MacCarthice. 



