71 
ED-WINGED 
^ARRAKEET. 
Psittacus erythropterus, Euss. 
Synonyms; Aprosmictus eryilircypiems, Gld.j Psittacus melanotis, Shw.; 
Platycercus erythropterus, Vges.; Ptistes erythropterus et 
coccineopterus, Ge. Geeman: Per rothfliigelige Sittich. 
T his dellglitfiil Parrot is not an nncommon inhabitant of the 
greater part of the Eastern Australian ‘‘bush”, but more especially 
abounds in the northern parts of the great island continent; yet it is 
among the rarest importations from that land of Parrots, and, conse- 
quently, commands a high figure in the bird-market, from £8 to £5 
and upwards being the price of a pair. 
The greater portion of the plumage is rich grass-green; the back, 
shoulders, and wing coverts are velvety black; a broad red, or rather 
crimson, patch ornaments the centre of the wing, and the rump is 
blue: the eyes are reddish, and the beak orange red. 
According to Gray, the female is almost entirely green, the red on 
her shoulder reduced to very small proportions, and the velvet black of 
the back and wing coverts entirely wanting. Mr. Wiener, on the other 
hand, states that “the plumage of the female is less bright, and the 
red on the wing less extensive”, but says nothing about the absence 
of the velvet mantle. Mr. Gedney agrees with the former writer; 
“The hen”, he writes, “is less brilliantly coloured, her body plumage 
being dull green, of a palish hue, merging to yellow on the abdomen, 
with a strip of red upon the wing, and a blue patch at the base of 
the tail. She lacks the rich velvet black which makes the back of her 
mate so strikingly handsome, and her plumage is altogether inferior 
to that of the male bird.” 
In Lear’s excellent Illustrations of the Psittacido!, the female is rep- 
resented, coloured, as described by Mr. Gedney, and the young male 
is distinguished from his mother by the extent of the red bands on 
