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pLOSSOM-^EADED $ARRAKEET. 
Psittacus cyanoeephalus, Euss. 
Synonyms; Palceornis rosa, Palceurnis erythroccphahis hengalensis, Gld.; 
PaloBornis ginginianus; Palceornis rhodoccphalus, Shw. 
Palceornis hengalensis, Yges., etc. German: Per Pflaumenhopfsittich. 
French: Perruclie d tote hleue, Bess. 
O F all tFo old world Parrots this isj without exception^ the most 
elegantly formed, the most beautiful, docile, and desirable: the 
Lories may be dressed in more gorgeous attire, and be as tame and 
gentle, and of disposition as affectionate and mild, but they are difficult 
to preserve in health, and have not as yet frequently reproduced their 
kind in captivity, whereas the Blossom- or Plum-head yields to none 
of them in estimable qualities, and has the farther advantage of being 
extremely hardy, albeit a native of '‘the gorgoons East’^, and of actually 
having proved itself as ready to breed in the aviary as any of the 
Grass Parrakeets of Australia: Dr. Euss and other amateurs having 
bred these birds to the third and even fourth generation in their 
aviaries. 
The late Mr. Gould was of opinion that there are two distinct species 
of Blossom-headed Parrakeets, one of which, coming from Ceylon, India, 
and especially from the Himalayan Mountains in the latter country, 
he named Palceornis rosa and the other, or Bui mese Blossom-head, 
Palceornis orytlirocephalus, he found extending from Burmah into China, 
which was a larger bird than the former, with paler colours and a 
dull red wing spot; but it seems a pity to multiply species in a case 
like this, where the slight differences that exist are more of climatic 
and local origin than really specific j we have accordingly declined to 
subscribe to Mr. Gould’s decision, and consider the Blossom-heads, 
whether Indian or Burmese, to be one and the same species. 
The Blossom-head is a pretty bright green bird, about the size of 
