212 Ftifiher Notes on the Black-7vingcd Lory. 
latter I call quite a claret red and it forms a striking con- 
trast to the pinkish scarlet of the lower parts of the face. The 
inner sides of the scarlet wing feathers are yellow, which looks very 
pretty when the wings are extended in flight or play. If I remem- 
ber rightly I was unable to distinguish much diflference between 
the sexes, but I think the females are slightly less brilliant. The 
young are very brownish, the feathers on breast and crown of 
head being edged with that colour. The black on the wings is 
also of a rusty hue with some green reflections, and the thighs 
are quite of a dull green. It is really a difficult matter to locate 
these or any other Red Lories in the trees when they are feeding, 
even if one should be right luider them, as their plumage 
harmonises so well with the large clusters of scarlet flowers* 
which they seem to favour. It is only when they move that 
they betray their whereabouts, or when suddenly alarmed. Then 
they all rise simultaneously with loud shrieks, and instead of 
there having been a few onh', as one may may have imagined, it 
is found that sixty or seventy or more were there all the time. 
The Black-winged Lory is fond of company and my experience 
has been that thej' may be trusted with any other species even 
when much smaller than themselves. It is strange they are not 
more often brought to this country, as I think it would always 
be possible to find one or two in Ternate, which place is in touch 
with the outer world. All the Malay, Chinese and Arab traders 
who have the North New Guinea trade in their hands reside 
there and usually bring various live birds hack with them from 
the mainland. 
The Malays call all species of lories " Casturi," which 
simply means musk, owing to the strong musky odour all these 
birds possess when wild, and which they retain for some time in 
captivity. I have found it much more pronounced in some 
species than others. The Dusky Lory being particularly 
pungent. 
• I do not know if it lias been remarked before how scarlet predominates above all 
other colours in the flowers on the trees, bushes and creepers of the Papuan regions with 
the exception of the Aru Islands which have no red Lories. Here, their place is taken by 
the green coloured [C lialcopsHtacus sciiiiillatus) which feed and live in the dense mangrove 
swamps which form such a feature of these islands, and with which their colours so 
beautifully assimilate. W.G. 
