LORIUS. 
is purely a typographical error here present and that correction to Lorius 
is imperative. 
This view, which is indisputable, has been taken by Sherborn, who in 
the Index Animalium, p. 519, records : “ Larius err. pro. Lorius, P. Boddsert.” 
This proposal has, however, been hitherto overlooked, and we have a double 
complication to face. In the Catalogue of Birds, Vol. XX., p. 393, Salvadori 
has recorded Psittacus ceclanensis as a synonym of Eclectus-roratus Muller, 
1776, given to the same plate. This identification necessitates the acceptance 
of the genus name Lorius in place of Eclectus. We view this alteration with 
little feeling, as there is a prior Eclectis Hiibner, 1826, which hangs over 
Eclectus as recorded in the List of the Birds of Australia, p. 26, 1913. For 
the genus called Lorius in the Catalogue of Birds, Vol. XX., p. 31 (where a 
footnote is given : “ The genus Lorius is generally attributed to Brisson, 
who did not use the name in a generic sense ”), Wagler’s name Domicella 
is available. As the vernacular Lory is in use for many species, the emendations 
will cause little confusion.” 
As the bird is new to Australia the necessary change now made will help 
to fix its name as it will become familiar under the name here used. 
Under Salvadori’ s scheme of classification, displayed in the Catalogue of 
the Birds in the British Museum, Vol. XX., 1891, this genus falls into his 
subfamily Palceornithince of the Psittacidce. The genera included in that 
subfamily were Eclectus, Geoffroyus, Prioniturus, Mascarinus, Tanygnathus, 
Palceornis, Polytelis, Ptistes, Aprosmictus, Pyrrhulopsis, Psittacella, Psitiinus, 
BoTbopsittacus, Agapornis and Loriculus. The characters governing this sub- 
family read rather vaguely : p. 137, “ Left carotid normal, like the right one 
running in the hypoapophysial canal ; orbital ring always incomplete ; sides 
of the head feathered, if naked, only immediately round the eyes ; tail feathers 
frequently acuminate ; bill often very strong, and, especially the upper 
mandible, frequently red ; females mostly different from the males.” The 
words “ if ” “ frequently ” “ often ” “ frequently ” and “ mostly ” are so 
indeterminate as to demand reconstruction of the grouping. 
Almost immediately, D’Arcy Thompson from a study of the Cranial 
Osteology separated the Australian genera allied to Aprosmictus and referred 
these to the neighbourhood of Platycercus, and also removed Agapornis while 
clearly emphasizing the lack of real evidence of the close relationships of the 
majority of the other genera. It is possible that careful study of the other 
parts of the skeleton will help to decide as to the alliances of these Parrots. 
Here I use the family name Loriidce based on the oldest genus name for Lorius, 
and am including Geoffroyus though I doubt its close relationship to Lorius, 
judging from superficial characters alone. 
247 
