Birds of Celebes: Psittacidae. 
145 
Young male. Like the adult, hut with only a trace of blue on the head; the mantle 2iarrot- 
green; the back darker blue, which colour is much more extended; the wing-coverts 
dark j^arrot -green, — darkest at the edge of the wing, — bordered with dark golden- 
ochraceous (Luzon — iN^r. 3988). 
Distribution. “Philippine Islands including Palawan and Mantanani (small island to the 
ISTorth-west of Bonieo) and also the Sooloo Islands” (Salvad. c 5); Sangi (Fischer i). 
Observation. This species is included in the avifaima of the Celebesian province in virtue of 
six specimens in the Darmstadt Museum labelled by Dr. Fischer as coming from 
the Sangi Islands most likely Great Sangi — and recorded by Briiggemann. 
Like Prof. W. Blasius we see no reason why the indication Sangi should be con- 
sidered as possibly erroneous, though confirmatory evidence of the occurrence of this 
widely-sju-ead species, or a local race of it, in Great Sangi — where it was not ob- 
tained by Hoedt, v. Rosenberg, van Duivenbode, Meyer, Bruijn, nor Platen 
— would be welcome. 
This sjiecies varies a good deal in size, s^jecimens from the Sooloo Islands and 
Talaut being the hirgest yet recorded. They also vary in coloration: the two spe- 
cimens described above from Luzon — especially the young one — have the blue on 
the back well developed; in three from Cebu (adult and young) this part is j)aiTot- 
green without any blue; one from Palawan (o' juv.) has only a shght trace of blue; 
in two from hlindanao (O', Q , immature) it is better developed, though not so strongly 
as in the Luzon specimens, fi’om which they fui’thor differ slightly in other points. 
Briiggemaun’s Sangi si^ecimens have “the hind joart of head scarcely washed with 
bluish; rumj) sea-blue; lesser wing-coverts blackisli green witli light green borders, 
the greater ones dark gi’eeu bordered with gi’eenish yellow. Wing 187 — 195; tail 
119 — 127 lum. Fi’om the above series (of six), which contains different degrees of age, it 
may be seen that the blue on the head increases in intensity and extent with age 
while the same colour on the rump disai^pears more and more, and at last (through 
attrition of the feathers [!]) becomes quite lost” (7). 
The Sangi birds seem from the description to correspond -with those of Talaut 
as far as the intense blue of the head and pure - green back of fully adult birds is 
concerned. 
Only a large series of specimens from all the different islands can prove whether 
these differences of coloration are bound to the locality. 
* 47. TANYGNATHUS TALAUTENSIS M. & Wg. 
Talautese Blue-headed Green Parrot. 
a. Tanygnathus luzonensis (nec Linn.) (1) M. & Wg., J. f. 0. 1894, 239. 
Tanygnathus talautensis (1) M. & Wg., Abh. Mus. Dresden 1895, Nr. 9, p. 2. 
^ “Area rusipang”, Karkellang, Nat. Coll. 
Diagnosis. Similar to T. luconemis but larger, the head above and ear-coverts cerulean-blue, 
sharply cut off from the olivaceous yellow of the neck, becoming green on forehead 
and loral region; malar region washed with blue (ad. Karkellang — C 13766, type 
of species; and others). ’ 
Young. The occiput only washed with blue; the wing-coverts green, scarcely any blue showing, 
the groen-ycUow edgings hghter than in the adult, the carpal region green, not black 
(Karkellang — C 15265). 
Measurements. (20 specimens not including young ones) wing 202 — 222 mm, average 210 215 • 
tail 115 — 142; bill from cere c. 33.5 — 39; tarsus c. 20. 
Moyer & Wiglesworth, Birds of Celebes (Oct. ISth, 1S97). 
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