PLATYCERCUS TABUENSIS. 



We are indebted for the loan of a beautiful specimen of this rare spe- 

 cies to Mr Wilson, preserver of quadrupeds and birds to the Royal Edin- 

 burgh Museum, and who is always most attentive in communicating the 

 many rarities that occur to him. This species formed one of the treasures 

 of Bullock's Museum : it was then thought to be unique, and at the dis- 

 persion of the collection, the specimen passed to some continental museum. 

 Mr Leadbeater of London some time since possessed another speci- 

 men, which, with that now figured, are the only ones we trace to have 

 reached this country. Those figured by Dr Shaw in his General Zoology, 

 and by Mr White in a Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, appear 

 to be the Plat, scapulatus, a species perfectly distinct, and of more fre- 

 quent 1 occurrence than the present. Dr. Latham is certainly mistaken in 

 making them varieties of each other. 



This species is in length from fourteen to fifteen inches, the general 

 form rather robust. The bill, particularly the under mandible, is very 

 powerful. The head, neck, breast, belly, vent and under tail-coverts, are 

 bright purplish-red ; on the breast, belly and flanks having the feathers 

 merely tipped with this colour, which gives a banded appearance of black- 

 ish green and red to these parts ; all the remaining upper parts, except 

 the quills and outer tail-feathers, are bright emerald-green, varying in 

 shade and intensity, according to the light : on the rump, the feathers are 

 tipped with the colour of the head and neck : the wings are broad and 

 powerful ; the quills on the under sides and inner webs are black ; the 

 outer webs much emarginated, and very rich purplish azure-blue, changing 

 to pale ultramarine blue at the edges : the spurious quills on the upper 

 side are entirely deep azure-blue. The broad and expansive tail contains 

 twelve feathers ; the two centre ones dull emerald-green, all the others 

 rich azure-blue, tinged at the edges with pale ultramarine-blue and eme- 

 rald-green ; the under side of all the feathers is black : the feet and legs 

 are formed for climbing and walking, and are blue and black. 



