THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Aprosmictus erythropterus coccineopterus. Northern Territory. 
Aprosmictus erythropterus parryensis nov . 
Differs from A. e. coccineopterus in its larger size, with less black on the 
upper surface, and has the head paler. Wing 193-195 mm. 
North-west Australia (Parry’s Creek).” 
In the Austral. Avian Record , Vol. I., p. 118, 1912, 1 added : 
44 Aprosmictus erythropterus yorlci .” 
Differs from A. e. erythropterus in its smaller size and from A. e. coccineop- 
terus in being lighter coloured on the back : 
“ Cape York, North Queensland.” 
In this matter I used Melville Island birds as typical as no series was 
available from Port Essington, the type locality. 
These four forms I retained in my List of the Birds of Australia 
published at the end of 1913. 
In the South Australian Ornithologist, Vol. I., Jan. 1914, Zietz described 
from Melville Island “ Aprosmictus erythropterus melvillensis subsp. n. Much 
darker green and longer in the wing than specimens from the Northern 
Territory ; crown of head and nape strongly washed with blue. Wing 185, 
N. T. specimens 175 and 180.” 
It seems necessary to uphold all these subspecies though I had better quote 
some other opinions : thus Ramsay ( Proc . Zool. Soc., 1875, p. 602) wrote : 
44 1 found this species dispersed over the whole region from the Clarence river 
to the Caldwell district. Specimens of this species are smaller in size the further 
north they are found, until it reaches Cook town and the Cape York district, 
where they are the smallest, and the crimson on the shoulders of a deeper 
tint.” 
Keartland concluded : 44 Some Ornithologists incline to the opinion that 
there are two species of this genus, but I have had many skins through 
my hands from both North-western and North-eastern Australia, but failed 
to discover any specific difference.” 
North stated : 44 With a series of eight specimens before me, collected 
by the late Mr. Alex. Morton at Port Essington, Jam Creek and Port Darwin, 
also two specimens collected by Mr. E. J. Cairn in 1886 at Derby, North- 
Australia, I . . . hold that birds from Eastern, Northern and North-western 
Australia are all of the same species, Ptistes erythropterus. The wing-measure- 
ment of three adult males obtained at Port Essington is 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 inches 
respectively, of the adult males procured at Derby 7.4 and 7.7 inches, of three 
adult males obtained in Queensland, on the Lower Dawson River, Port Denison 
and Gayndah 7.25, 7.6, and 7.9 inches respectively. It will thus be seen that 
some Northern and North-western birds are as large, and even larger than some 
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