THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
congeners. It is noteworthy that this species which is certainly one of the 
most advanced stages of development in the genus is one of the furthest 
geographically from the Tasmanian one, which has retained the immature 
features in the most marked manner. It reaches Cape York, but as far as is 
known does not occur on the northern side of Torres Straits. 
The next species, whose range is westward of that of the present form, is 
also a xanthochroistic phase which is becoming a pure melanism. I will deal 
with it later, but it is here mentioned to note though it occurs on Melville 
Island it does not occur outside the Continent. Many of the Melville Island 
species have near relations in the North, generally towards the Aru group, as 
if there had been a separate means of communication between that part of 
Northern Australia and the North Island groups. 
PLATYCERCUS MASTERSIANUS. 
Platycercus mastersianus Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. II., p. 27, 1877 : 
Interior New South Wales ; id., ib., p. 194, 1878 ; Reichenow, Joum. fur Orn., 
1881, p. 118 ; Ramsay, Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 16, 1888 ; id., Cat. Austr. 
Psittaci, p. 63, 1891 ; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XX., p. 541 footnote, 
1891 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 65, 1899 ; Campbell, Nests Eggs Austr. Birds, 
Vol. II., p. 637, 1901 ; Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1902, p. 170, pi. xix. ; 
Editors, Emu, Vol. III., p. 197, 1904 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 49, 
1908 ; North, Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, Vol. III., p. 125, 1911 ; Mathews, 
Nov. Zool. Vol. XVIII., p. 272, 1912. 
Ramsay generally maintained this form though his doubts are thus expressed : 
44 1 had great doubts of its proving to be a good species, being rather inclined, 
from the great variegation and nonuniformity of its markings, to consider it 
a hybrid, or cross between some of the smaller species.” This opinion is now 
generally accepted, and as full descriptions and also a figure have been given 
at the above references, I do not see any good reason for further discussion, 
North having written 4 4 Platycercus mastersianus Ramsay, the type of which 
I have before me, is not a species, but a hybrid : from the blue cheeks, large 
amount of red feathers on the head, upper back and rump apparently between 
Platycercus elegans and pallidiceps. On the under surface, with the exception 
of a few scattered crimson feathers on the chest, the plumage is similar to that 
of the latter species.” 
344 
