57 



6. LORIUS SALVADORI. 



(SALVADORTS LORY.) 

 [Plate XIX.] 



Lorius salvadori, Meyer, Abh. u. Ber. konigl. zool. u. antlirop. Mus. Dresden, 1890-91, 

 no. 4, p. 6 (1891); Salvadori, Cat, of Birds in Brit. Mus. xx. p. 617 (1891). 



Pileum bluish black ; no yellow band across the crop-region ; under wing-coverts blue, a red band below 

 the occiput ; hinder neck and abdomen dark violet-black ; red of the body of a rather scarlet tint. 



Habitat. Astrolabe Bay, N.E. New Guinea. 



This species was founded by Dr. Meyer and the types are preserved in the Museum at 

 Dresden. No specimen exists in our National Collection, but Dr. Meyer bas been so very 

 kind as to lend us a type of tbe species for delineation. A very careful drawing bas been 

 made of it for our Plate, which is the only figure yet published of the species. 



L. salvadori is very like L. jobiensis, and agrees with it in having blue under wing- 

 coverts. It differs, however, from that species in that its hind neck and abdomen are much 

 darker, while the general red of the body is of a different shade, less rosy and more scarlet, 

 and therefore more like that of JO. erythrotliorax. The under tail-coverts are also of a 

 brighter blue than those of L. jobiensis, while the abdomen is somewhat green, and the tint 

 of the bend of the wing is somewhat more extended. 



Dr. Meyer assigns specific distinctness to it partly on account of geographical con- 

 siderations, coming as it does from Astrolabe Bay, where it may be considered as rejjresenting 

 the L. rubiensis of Bubie and the L. jobiensis of the island in Geelvink Bay. 



It is easily distinguished from L. lory, L. erythrotliorax, and L. rubiensis by its blue 

 under wing-coverts, fromX. cyanauchen by having a red occipital band, and fromi. domiceUa 

 by having no yellow band across the crop-region. 



As will be seen in our Plate the wings are green, the tail blue above and a golden 

 shade of yellow beneath. The purple patch on the lower breast sends up a prolongation on 

 either side to beneath the wing and (as Dr. Meyer tells us) joining the under wing-coverts. 

 Hence, as in JO. jobiensis, the red of the breast is separated off from that of the flanks. 



There is not only a bright red suboccipital collar, but also one across the interscapular 

 region, as in L. jobiensis. 



The thighs are purple, but have some green intermixed therewith. 



Total length 12-40 inches, wing 6-5, tail 45, culmen 1*2. 



