THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Ptilinopus (Lamprotreron) porphyrostictus Ramsay, P.L.S., N.S.W., II., p. 208 (1877) 
Ptilopus porphyrostictus Giebel, Thes. Orn., III., p. 367 (1877). 
Ptilopus minutus Campbell, Emu, V., pp. 155, 198 (1906). 
Distribution, Queensland ; New South Wales ; Tasmania (accidental) ; the Papuan 
and Moluccan Islands. 
Adult male. Crown of head dark purple ; lores, sides of face and band round the occiput 
green, as also the entire back and wings ; the scapulars and some of the inner median- 
coverts showing subterminal black spots ; lesser wing-coverts purplish-blue, forming 
a shoulder-patch ; remainder of the lesser and outer median coverts green, edged 
with yellow ; greater coverts green on the outer webs and margined with yellow, 
inner webs black ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quiUs black, some of the inner 
primary-quills edged with yellow, more broadly on the secondaries ; innermost 
secondaries with a certain amount of green on the outer webs ; the two middle tail- 
feathers green, with pale tips ; remainder of the tail-feathers black on the inner webs, 
green on the outer ones, and tipped with white ; a large patch of orange-red 
on the hind-neck and mantle ; throat whitish-grey ; fore-neck and chest lavender- 
grey, the feathers on the fore-neck and sides of neck barred with magenta ; 
a blue-black band across the breast, followed by three irregular white bands 
with two, more or less, complete green ones, the feathers of which are fringed 
with white ; under tail-coverts white, with green on the inner webs ; under-surface 
of tail lead-grey, with white tips ; under wing-coverts and axiUaries grey, 
tipped with white — some of the outer ones being more or less green ; “ Bill green ; 
iris yellow ; feet red ” (E. Olive). Total length, 213 mm. ; culmen, 18 ; wing, 
130 ; tail, 67 ; tarsus, 19. 
Adult female. Differs from the male in the absence of the lavender-grey and the purple 
band on the breast, which is green like the throat ; the orange-red patch on the 
hind-neck and mantle, which is like the back ; the magenta of the head is replaced 
by a purplish-black spot on the occiput ; and the blue shoulder -patch of the male 
is absent ; “ Bill dark indigo blue ; iris light yeUow ; feet scarlet ” (W. Stalker), 
Total length, 212 mm. ; culmen, 17 ; wing, 128 ; tail, 59 ; tarsus, 17. 
Young female of the year. Like the adult female, but the occipital spot is represented only 
by a patch of darker green. 
Young female (in the British Museum, from Port Molle, Queensland) is green above, including 
the head, with a certain amount of coppery reflections, and with pale narrow 
margins to the feathers on the lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts, as also the 
scapulars and lesser wing-coverts ; median and greater coverts more broadly 
margined with yellow, like the innermost secondaries ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts 
and quills blackish, the latter narrowly edged with white on the outer webs ; middle 
tail-feathers golden-brown, the outer feathers being darker with whitish tips ; 
throat grey ; fore-neck and chest, as also the sides of neck and sides of body, 
green, with pale edges to the feathers ; abdomen and under tail-coverts white, 
more or less, washed with yellow ; under wing-coverts dark green, with pale 
yellowish margins ; under aspect of quiUs lead-grey. 
“ The young resemble those of P. swainsoni, particularly in having narrow 
yellow margins to the primaries and secondaries, and to the tips of the feathers on 
the chest and breast ; they do not show the forked or split feathers on those parts 
before the end of the second j^ear, although the green bands on the flanks are 
conspicuous in the nestling ” (Ramsay, P.Z.8., p. 115 (1876). 
Nest. “ A platform, about three inches in diameter, composed of a few twigs. Usually 
situated in scrub or in a small tree at a height of two to ten feet from the ground ” 
(Campbell), 
no 
