VARIED LORIKEET. 
a narrow band of red across the fore-head. They were thriving on a mixture 
of oatmeal and honey.” 
G. F. Hill, in his “ Field Notes from Kimberley, North-west Australia ” 
{Emu, Vol. X., p. 268, 1911) has the following item : “ Large flocks of these 
pretty Lorikeets ( Ptilosclera versicolor) arrived at Napier Broome Bay on 
and after 20/12/09, and some few remained until July. Several pairs were 
seen preparing nesting places (28/4/10) but none of them was used. While 
watching a pair of Crimson Finches (Neochmia 'phaeton ) building their nest 
in a small hollow — a very unusual position for these birds — I saw a pair of 
Lorikeets drive them away and immediately set to work to remove the nest, 
which they did in an incredibly short space of time. After working inside 
the hollow for a few minutes, both flew away, leaving the Finches to collect 
the remains of their nest, which they rebuilt in the top of a pandanus palm 
close by.” 
Macgillivray in the Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 155, 1914, observed : “ Noted at 
Sedan, in flocks, feeding on the flowering box, in February 1910, and later 
in the flowering teatree along the river at Byromine. Later again in March, 
April, May and June, they were noted through to the Leichhardt, where they 
were very numerous on the river flats, which are covered with bloodwood, 
wattles similar to the Victoria black wattle, silver box, and bauhinia. They 
are probably spring breeders, as no nests were found in these months.” 
Barnard {Emu, Vol. XIV., p. 46, 1914) writes : “ Only a few were seen 
about Borroloola, but they were very plentiful further west (in the Northern 
Territory), where they were busy feeding on the flowers of the bloodwood 
eucalypt. A nest examined in July 1913 contained three young birds.” 
In the Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, Vol. III., there is the following note 
from Mr. G. A. Keartland: “In December 1896, immense flocks of Ptilosclera 
versicolor visited several box-trees which were in blossom in the vicinity of 
our camp, near the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, North- 
western Australia. As they moved rapidly amongst the foliage, their scarlet 
crowns were very conspicuous, suggesting the idea that the trees were 
adorned with brilliant scarlet flowers. A number afterwards bred in the 
hollow branches of trees growing along the Margaret River. In habits, mode 
of flight and notes, they bear a close resemblance to Glossopsittacus concinnusP 
The range of the species is Northern Australia, and as the type locality 
of the original bird was quite unknown when I prepared my “ Reference 
List,” published in the Novit. Zool., Vol. XVIII., 1912, I designated Cape 
York and then separated out the Northern Territory and North-western 
Australian birds as subspecies with the names T. v. mellori and T. v. whitei 
respectively. 
VOL. VI. 
41 
