THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
and outer aspect of the primary- and secondary-quills deep blue, the outer primaries 
greyish-blue on the outer edges towards the tips, the inner-webs of the flight-quills 
blackish-brown ; a tinge of golden-yellow on the upper tail-coverts ; central tail- 
feathers bronze-green with dark brown tips and a tinge of blue along the outer 
web near the shaft, the outer feathers blue at the base becoming paler towards the 
apical portion which is white with more or less brown on the inner-webs towards 
the base ; fore part of head and sides of face dark blue ; lower breast and sides 
of the body yellowish-white, abdomen and under tail-coverts bright scarlet, some- 
what paler on the latter ; axillaries and under wing-coverts bright glossy blue ; 
the greater series of the latter and under-surface of quills dark brown ; lower 
aspect of tail dark brown, the outer feathers broadly tipped with white. Figured. 
Collected at Moree, New South Wales, in October, 1907, and is the type of 
Northiella hcematogaster zanda. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Nest. A hole in a tree. 
Eggs. Clutch three to seven. White. 23-24 mm. by 18-19. 
Breeding-season. August to December. 
Again we have a complex technical history without much real knowledge of the 
life of the bird, as the following few items will show, the technical portion being 
related afterwards : 
Gould’s observations may be first quoted : “ Psephotus hcematorrhous. This 
species of Parrakeet is an inhabitant of the interior of New South Wales, where it 
frequents the borders of the rivers Namoi and Darling ; and in all probability 
its range extends far to the northward ; but, so far as is yet known, it has never 
been found in Southern or Western Australia; I met with it in tolerable 
abundance in the neighbourhood of the Lower Namoi, where it appeared to 
give a decided preference to those parts of the plains which were of a loose mouldy 
character, and with which the colour of the back so closely assimilates as to be 
scarcely distinguished from it. Like the other members of the family, it is 
mostly observed in small flocks, feeding upon the seeds of the various grasses 
abounding on the plains. It is only when the bird, after a short flight, alights on 
the branches, that the splendid scarlet of the abdomen, relieved by the yellow of 
the sides, is seen to advantage ; when thus seen, however, it is a truly beautiful 
object, and is scarcely excelled by any other species of the group. 
“P. xanthorrhous. On reference to my account of P. hcematorrhous it will be 
seen that the native habitat of that bird is the interior of New South Wales, 
while the present ranges more to the westward, having been found in abundance 
by Captain Sturt at the depot, and by Mr. White, of Adelaide, at Cooper’s Creek. 
There can be no mistake on this point, for I have specimens from both these 
gentlemen now before me . Captain Sturt’s are a little darker on the upper 
surface than those transmitted by Mr. White.” 
Under the name P. xanthorrhous , Mr. E. J. Christian of Northern Victoria 
has written me : “ This parrot is the second of three inhabitants of this district, 
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