68 RUDOLF SÖDERBERG, STUDIES OF THE BIRDS IN NORTH WEST AUSTRALIA. 
had begun, before the feather was grown out. And yet the feather still had its 
sheath at the base, and there were new rami ready in it. Probably there is a 
pathological for the feather showing such signs of degeneration even before it is 
fully-developed. The vane is worn and sore also below the cavity. It looks as 
if an insect had been gnawing there. Other specimens have the tail-feathers of different 
length (one of them is growing out). 
Moulting-season. — The specimen "'/» appears to be in full plumage, with 
all the tail-feathers full-grown, etc. No moulting on back or breast or at the crown 
of the head. The specimen ””/1+ is in partial moulting (the crown of the head). The 
others from May, and especially the specimen from Oct., are in full moulting. Conse- 
quently we have moulting taking place at times as far from one another as Oct. and 
May (a space of half a year). But it is here to remember of the fact that in birds, 
which have not paired, the moult is considerably delayed. 
Ecological. — This common parrot seems to have the swiftest flight of them 
all. In flocks of 50 or 100 birds it flew forward over the tops of the trees with the 
speed of an arrow. The members of the flock then kept very close together and 
followed each others motions with admirable rapidity and fidelity. The birds were 
often seen on the ground. 
Fam. Loriidee. 
Ptilosclera versicolor Vic. 
Math. handl. n:r 306. 5 SS ad., 1 J juv.? Nooncanbah, Kimb. 5/12 1910; 8/12, ”!/12, 2/12 1910, all moult. 
Variants. — Due to moult in different stages. Specimens nos: 2—6 are in strong 
moulting, especially one from ”'/12. The latter specimen has among the new red feathers 
on the crown of the head a mixture of yellowish green ones, the red on the breast 
is mixed with yellow-green (cf. below), and so it has a darker blue collar. 'The other 
moulting birds have more or less full-coloured red in the breast and a darker blue 
collar. The crown of head is full-coloured red. 
The details are: All these distinetly ornamented or full-coloured parts are obtained 
by newly-developed sheaths. 
On the crown of the head these red feathers are sometimes tipped with yellow- 
green, which disappears later on. The red feathers of the breast have considerable 
(yellow-)green parts together with the red, the latter being developed at the cost of 
the green, and finally only the saffron-coloured spot at the tip remains; this spot 
persists all the year. It is noteworthy that no moulting of the edges or any such 
partial breaking of the old feathers is to be seen here. 
Moulting-season. — Comes in Dec. It is rem arkable, however, that the male 
”h12 has an almost cleen, fully-moulted plumage. 
