173 



2. CHARMOSYNOPSIS MARGARITA. 



(MARGARET'S LORY.) 

 [Plate LVL, both Figures female.] 



Charmosyna margarethce, Tristram, Ibis, 1879, p. 442, pi. xii. 



Charmosyna margaritce, Salvadori, Ibis, 1880, p. 130 ; Sharpe, Gould's B. of New Guinea, 



vol. v. pi. xi. (18S4). 

 Charmosyne margarethce, Tristram, Ibis, 1882, p. 143. 

 Trichoglossus margaritce, Rchnw. Journ. f. Orn. 1881, p. 396 ; id. Vogelbild. t. xxix. 



fig. 7 (1878-83). 

 Charmosynopsis margaritce, Salvadori, Orn. Pap. e Mol. i. p. 319 (1880), xii. p. 520 (1882) ; 



id. Cat, of Birds in Brit. Mus. xx. p. 81 (1891). 



A yellow collar round the base of the neck. 

 Habitat. Solomon Islands (Ugi and San Cristoval) . 



This species was discovered by Lieut. Richards, R.N., in tbe Solomon Islands. 



There is no specimen in the British Museum, and for having been enabled to figure the 

 species we are indebted to the ready kindness of Canon Tristram. It was he who first 

 described the species and gave it the name it bears in complement to H.R.H. the Duchess of 

 Connaught, who had then recently been his guest. 



It is owing to an unfortunate circumstance, vexatious to us and far more vexatious to 

 Canon Tristram, that we are unable to offer to our readers a figure of the male. The 

 Rev. Canon possessed a fine male skin, but it was stolen by a sweep and never recovered. 



Fortunately, however, there appears to be very little difference between the sexes. In 

 the male the sides of the lower back are crimson, in the female they are (as represented in our 

 Plate) orange-yellow. In the male the rump and upper tail-coverts are green washed with 

 golden, in the female they are of an olive tint. 



The colours of tbe female are as follows : — The back and wings above are bright grass- 

 green, the rump and upper tail-coverts are olive, while the sides of the lower back are 

 orange-yellow. The forehead and front part of the vertex are crimson, as are also the occiput 

 and nape ; interposed between these anterior and posterior red portions of the head is a cap 

 of purplish black covering the hinder portion of the vertex and descending on either side 

 very nearly to the eye, which is, however, separated from it by a narrow strip of crimson, 

 which tint is spread over the lores, sides of the face, cheeks, ear-coverts, sides of the neck, and 

 entire throat. The neck and throat are bounded posteriorly by a narrow band of purplish 

 black, narrowest at its median ventral portion ; immediately behind this succeeds a broad 



