RED-SHOULDERED GRASS PARROT. 
coverts bright turquoise-blue, outer greater coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts, 
primary- and secondary-quills dark blue on the outer aspect, paler and inclining 
to greenish on the margins of the primary- and secondary-quills, inner-webs 
dark brown ; a patch of red on the inner portion of the wing-coverts ; the lateral 
tail-feathers next to the middle pair are tipped with yellow and brown on the inner- 
webs, the yellow increasing and the brown decreasing in extent towards the outer- 
most pair which are almost entirely yellow ; hinder face, sides of neck, sides of 
breast and sides of the body yellowish-green ; fore-neck, breast, and abdomen 
old gold-yellow ; under tail-coverts and outer tail-feathers below yellow, the middle 
feathers brown ; axillaries pale greenish-blue ; under wing-coverts dark blue, the 
greater series and quill-lining dark brown. Bill horn colour, eyes brown, feet grey. 
Total length 210 mm. ; culmen 11, wing 112, tail 107, tarsus 13. Figured. Collected 
on the Riverina, New South Wales, on the 3rd of April, 1873. 
Adult female. Differs from the adult male in the absence of the red patch on the inner 
upper wing-coverts, the bright blue on the fore-head, sides of crown, and sides 
of the face, in having the fore-neck and breast dull pale green and a large white 
spot on the inner-webs of most of the primary- and secondary-quills, and in having 
white lores. Figured. Collected at Randwick, New South Wales, in June, 1881. 
Immature. Differs from the adult male in having the sides of the face much less brilliant 
blue, in having an admixture of green on the fore-neck and breast, and in having a 
yellowish spot on the inner-webs of some of the primary- and secondary-quills. 
Collected at Bathurst, New South Wales, in July, 1891. 
Nest. A hole in a tree. 
Eggs. Clutch, four or five. White. 20 to 23 mm. by 18-19. 
Breeding-season. August to December. 
“All those who have traversed the ‘bush’ in New South Wales will recognise 
in this lovely species an old favourite, for if must have often come under 
their notice.” Thus wrote Gould. At the present time it is probably extinct, 
and of its life history we do not know much, yet it was apparently a common 
bird at the settlement of Sydney. It was described by Shaw and Nodder 
in 1792 and appears among the Watling drawings, where, however, it is called 
a rare bird, but this rarity only applied to the non-observant settlers, as many 
other common birds are also termed “ rare.” Its beauty strongly appealed to 
the artist Watling, so that, contrary to his usual practice, he gave a long descrip- 
tive note : “ The two centre tail-feathers are entirely green, the two next have 
a little yellow on the tips or points, which increases in all the tail-feathers, 
until the two outer ones on each side are perfectly yellow ; from the centre, 
or two green feathers, the five others on each side regularly decrease in length. 
This is a rare bird in N.S. Wales, is of short flight, never seen in more than 
pairs, and oftener seen on the ground than perched on trees. The feathers 
of the head and shoulder of the wing are of the most brilliant lightest azure. 
The strongest quill -feathers are equal as to clearness of colour, but of a middling 
deep mazarine -blue, tipped with black. The whole of the bird’s colours are 
delightful, but these most especially the best artist must ever despair of 
equalling.” 
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