THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Psephotus varius rosince Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 277, 1912 : Yorke’s 
Peninsula, South Australia ; id., List Birds Austr., p. 136, 1913 ; S. A. White, 
Trans. Roy. Soc. South Austr., Vol. XXXVIII., p. 427, 1914 (S.A.) ; id., Emu, 
Vol. XIV., p. 187, 1915 (Centr.) ; id., Trans. Roy. Soc. South Austr., Vol. XXXIX., 
p. 746, 1915 (Centr.). 
Psephotus varius exsul Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 277, 1912 : Mt. Magnet, 
West Australia ; id., List Birds Austr., p. 136, 1913. 
Clarkona varias Mathews, ante. 
Distribution. Interior South Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia 
and West Australia. 
Adult male. Back, scapulars, and outer-webs of innermost secondaries dull bluish-green, 
the lower back, rump, and short upper tail-coverts rather more blue than the upper 
back ; a band of yellowish-green across the rump and an ill-defined one across 
the tail-coverts ; marginal upper wing-coverts bright green inclining to ultramarine 
blue on the bend of the wing ; an oblique patch of bright yellow across the lesser 
upper wing-coverts followed by emerald-green on the median series, the greater 
series more bluish-green ; bastard- wing, primary-coverts, and outer aspect of 
flight-quills deep blue ; outer edges of the primaries towards the tips greyish-blue, 
inner-webs of primary- and secondary- quills dark brown ; basal portion of the 
tail green shaded with blue on the middle feathers towards the tips which are dark 
brown, the outer feathers crossed by a black band, becoming pale blue towards 
the tips which are white on the longer ones, the inner-webs of which are more or 
less brown towards the base ; crown of head, sides of face, throat, fore-neck, and 
breast bright emerald-green becoming more yellowish-green on the abdomen and 
lower flanks ; forehead yellow ; nuchal patch cinnamon-red ; lower abdomen 
and thighs deep scarlet-red intermixed with yellow ; under tail-coverts yellow 
slightly tinged with red ; axillaries and under wing-coverts bright ultramarine blue, 
the greater series of the latter and quills below dark brown ; lower aspect of tail 
dark brown, the outer feathers very pale iridescent blue with white tips to the 
longer feathers. Bill, bluish-horn ; eyes dark hazel ; feet grey. Total length 
290 mm. ; culmen 15, wing 135, tail 152, tarsus 15. Figured. Collected at 
Underbool, Mallee, Victoria, on the 13th September, 1910. 
Adult female. Differs from the adult male in the absence of the green on the head, back, 
throat and breast, and the yellow on the wing and forehead and in having the head, 
back, throat, and breast dusky-grey tinged with green, an oblique patch of red 
across the upper wing-coverts, the pale green abdomen and under tail-coverts, 
the dark green under wing-coverts, and the white spots on the inner-webs of the 
flight-quills. Figured. Collected at Daytray, Victoria, on the 11th of September, 
1912, 
Nest. A hole in a tree. 
Eggs. Clutch, four to six. White. 22 to 23 mm. by 18-20. 
Breeding-season. July to December. 
This beautiful little Parrot has been rather unfortunate in its nomination, so 
that I will deal with its life history first and then give a connected historical 
and systematic account. 
Captain S. A. White has written me : “ This bird is found throughout the 
mallee country of South Australia and is often known as the Mallee Parrot. 
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