TRICHOGLOSSUS CONCINNUS. 



tirely on the nectiferous juices of flowers, or on soft and pulpy fruits ; and 

 on this account we now refrain from describing it. 



This beautiful little species is very abundant in New Holland and 

 the adjacent islands. It is met with in almost every collection, and, 

 since the discovery of the structure of the tongues in this group, and the 

 consequent alteration of the food given to them, they are often met with 

 in a state of confinement. They will live on the ordinary food given to 

 parrots in a tame state, bread and milk, and boiled eggs, &c. ; but the ad- 

 ditional health and vigour they display, and the finer state in which their 

 plumage is kept when fruits, honey, or brown sugar is added, and made 

 the chief food, at once shews that this nourishment is much more in ac- 

 cordance with what they receive in a wild state. 



The total length is from eight to nine inches ; the prevailing colour, as in 

 most of the parrots, is bright emerald-green, inclining more to a yellowish 

 shade on the lower parts. The forehead is banded with scarlet-red, which 

 extends before the eyes nearly parallel with the rictus. The auricular 

 feathers are of the same colour, and form an oval patch behind and under 

 the eyes. The crown of the head is ultramarine blue, in some fights having 

 a greenish tinge, and passes into the yellowish oil-green band that sur- 

 rounds the upper part of the back. The cheeks under the red patch are 

 dashed with ultra-marine blue. The back beneath the oil-green band is 

 entirely deep emerald-green, with the exception of first quill, and the inner 

 webs of the others, these are brownish-black, and the first, second, and 

 third are edged with a very narrow stripe of pale yellow. The whole 

 of the two centre tail-feathers, and the outer webs of the others, are also 

 emerald-green ; the inner webs of the exterior ones yellowish-green, pass- 

 ing into scarlet-red at the base. The breast, belly, and vent are bright 

 yellowish emerald-green ; about the lower part of the breast there is a bright 

 yellow band, which passes under the axilla?, and is there much broader. 

 This band varies considerably in different specimens : in some it is much 

 brighter than in others, and we find it some^mes entirely encircling the 

 breast, sometimes interrupted in the centre, forming only a patch on each 

 side ; it is always narrow in the centre, and extends in breadth as it ap- 

 proaches the axilla?. The tarsi are short and strong, and, with feet, are 

 of a bluish-grey colour. 



