26 BED SHimNO PABBAKEET. 



and Dr. Russ records the fact that any one of these birds exhibited 

 by Fraulin Hagenbeck at the " Ornis " Show in 1880, was an 

 excellent talker (ein sehr gut sprechendes exemplar), of which the 

 price was six hundred marks, or £30. Another, on the same authority, 

 is said to have been purchased from Herr Blaaw, of Amsterdam, for 

 two hundred and fifty marks by Herr Director Scheuba, who gives it a 

 good character on the whole, but complains that his bird was in a 

 chronic state of moult ; which may possibly be due to the fact, that it 

 was accustomed to partake freely of cayenne pepper with its food. 



The great similarity between three or four species or varieties of 

 these Parrakeets has given rise to some confusion; for instance, the 

 Amboina Parrakeet, the Tabuan Parrakeet, the subject of our present 

 notice, and the well known King Parrakeet have a strong family 

 likeness, more especially the three first; and have not ^infrequently 

 been mistaken one for the other. The specific differences however 

 are considerable, as will be seen on comparing the plate of the last 

 mentioned species, and that of the Red Shining Parrakeet ; the Amboina 

 and Tabuan species we have not yet illustrated, but hope to be in a 

 position to do so before the completion of this work ; when it will be 

 readily seen in what respect they differ from their congeners. 



In the present species the beak is blackish brown with a reddish 

 tinge, below the surface as it were; the eye, or rather the iris, is 

 bright reddish yellow ; the lores, forehead, and back of the neck are deep 

 shining red, and the latter terminates with a distinct collar of deep 

 ultramarine blue; the wing coverts are brilliant green, but the flight 

 feathers and the spurious wing feathers are deep blue, though in some 

 lights the latter have a greenish tinge. The rump and upper tail 

 coverts are bright green ; the throat, breast, and belly, brilliant crimson. 

 Variations of colour are not, however, of uncommon occurrence, and 

 are due probably to age. 



We had an idea at one time that this beautiful bird, following the 

 analogy of the Eclecti, was the female of the Masked Parrakeets, but 

 so many observers have recorded the fact that the female of the Red 

 Shining Parrakeet resembles the male, although, perhaps, somewhat 

 less brilliantly tinted ; that we are forced to abandon our hypothesis, 

 at least for the present. 



The chief points of difference between the subject of our present 

 notice and the King Parrakeet are, first, the size; and secondly, the 

 colour of the beak. The Red Shining Parrakeet is considerably smaller 

 than the King, and the latter has a coral-red beak, which fades in old 

 subjects; and after death, to dull reddish orange. 



When wild these birds are said to feed chiefly on seeds and berries, 



