Birds of Celebes: Psittaoidae. 
163 
This appears to occur in many cases in the genus Loriculus and affords a 
reason for the construction of the accompanying genealogical tree: 
Loriculus vernalis (India to Malacca) 
L. pusillus [iSsiNsi] L.indicus [OiQjlon] T.sp. (Sumatra, Borneo) 
j L. flosculus (Flores) 1 
\ L. exilis (Celebes) f 
Loriculus sp. (Celebes-Halmahera) 
I" L. sclalmd (Sula) | 
^ L. quadricolor (Togian) ^ 
[ L. stigmatus (Celebes) j 
L. a77iabilis 
(Halmabera) 
L. catamene 
(Sangi) 
L. awrintiifQ^ons 
(New Griiinea)- 
L. tener 
(Duke of York) 
L. clmjsonotus 
L. regulus 
L. philippensis 
L. mindojxnsis 
L. siquijorensis 
L. toorcesteri 
L. apicalis 
W 
(D 
P! 
• rH 
• rH 
rP 
L. honapartei (Sooloo Is. 
L. galgulus ? 
(Borneo, Sumatra etc. 
A glance at the above genealogical tree will show that L. vernalis, the 
“Stammform”, to which we hypothetically trace the different species of the genus, 
is supposed to have given rise to two main branches, as well as to a brief off- 
shoot, L. mdicus of Ceylon, which has not been differentiated further. Hitherto, by 
several authors, the genus has been divided for practical purposes — as an 
aid to the determination of the species — into two groups, characterized by 
the possession of an orange-coloured or a black bill; but it would be an error 
to suppose that on this difference alone the genus can be divided into two 
natural groups. In the young of the black-billed L. catamene, stigmatus, sclateri, 
and amahilis the bill is known to be yellowish or whitish at first, in the black- 
billed L. galgulus it is dull yellow, shaded with dusky (Davison), and is stated 
by Guillem ard to be “red”, “very dark yellow” etc. in specimens of the black- 
billed L. honapartei, a species in which we suspect the quite black bill to be 
present only in old birds. Furthermore, the black-billed L. honapartei and pro- 
bably L. galgulus are really as far removed as possible from the other black- 
billed species, and the former at all events should be placed at the extreme 
end of the other branch of the genealogical tree, notwithstanding the fact that 
there is a considerable resemblance between the adult males of L. honapartei 
and L. stigmatus. The ontogenetic reasons on which this division of the genus 
rests are the following: 
In addition to having a general colour of parrot-green, all the Loriculi, 
with one exception, possess a red rump and upper tail-coverts, a character 
assumed with the first plumage^), and which may, therefore, be regarded as of 
1) The young L. galgulus has only the edges of the feathers red (Salvadori;. 
21 * 
