50 



Seba's " Psittacus orientcdis exquisites Loeri clictus" was tlie Black-capped Lory, it lias 

 been known for more tban one hundred and sixty years. Linnaeus gave it a place and the 

 name Psittacus lory in bis ' Systema Naturae ' in 1766. Dr. Wallace was tbe first to give 

 it (in 1859) its now accepted appellation of Lorins lory. 



It is not only tbe beauty of its plumage tbat makes tbis Lory of Lories attractive, for 

 it manifests an affectionate disposition, few birds appearing to take more genuine pleasure 

 in being noticed and made much of by their owners. 



As to its talking-powers there seems to be a conflict of opinion. Edwards testifies in 

 favour of its possessing this faculty, saying that it pronounced in a soft clear voice the word 

 " Lory ! Lory ! " Dr. Finsch attributes to it but small capacity for talking, while Dr. Meyer 

 says that it speaks distinctly. Messrs. Greene and Dutton came to the opinion that a 

 preponderance of evidence existed in support of the assertion that this Lory will talk. 



The species has been exhibited in the Zoological Gardens of London. 



The prevailing colours of L. lory are blue, red, and green. The crown of the bead is 

 black, while all its lateral and inferior parts (cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, and throat) are red, 

 and a narrow red band extends from side to side between the posterior margin of the black 

 cap and the upper margin of a blue patch on the back. Sometimes a second narrow 

 transverse band of red crosses the interscapular region. More or less of the sides of the 

 breast, the abdomen, lower back, uropygium, and upper tail-coverts are also red. The 

 hind neck, the interscapular region, and the breast are blue, the blue of the breast being 

 prolonged upwards, on each side, so as to join that of the hind neck. The abdomen, thighs, 

 and under tail-coverts are also of a brighter blue. The wings are green, some of the upper 

 wing-coverts and inner quills tinged with golden olive ; the quills have the base of the 

 inner web yellow ; the under wing-coverts are red. 



The upper surface of the tail is dark red at its base, greenish in the middle, dark blue 

 on its distal half; beneath it is bright red at the base and golden olive towards the tip. The 

 bill is orange-red, tbe feet are black, and the iris yellow. 



Total length 12 inches, wing 6"1, tail 4T, tarsus 8. 



The young is said to be very different from the adult. In it the red occipital band is 

 wanting, the interscapular region greenish, a blue collar extends round tbe neck, the upper 

 breast is red, the greater under wing-coverts yellow with black tips, the small and median 

 ones mingled with green, blue, and red, while the middle part of the tail is greenish above. 



In the immature bird the blue of the breast does not join that of the hind neck. 



The eleven specimens preserved in the National Collection present considerable 

 differences as to the extent of the red on the sides of the breast. In the specimen from 

 the Gould collection there is almost a distinct second band (across the mantle) coloured like 

 the band of the nape. 



