The Wakbung Grass Paruoquet. BIRDS. The Papuan Lory. 377 
scratching gently amongst the plumage of each other’s 
heads, and not unfrequently feeding each other. Hence 
they have disputed the title of Love-hirds with a 
diminutive short-tailed species of parrot, to which that 
name has long been applied. 
During the heat of the day the Grass Parroquets 
perch in flocks upon the branches of the gum trees, and 
there shelter themselves from the scorching rays of the 
sun ; they sit so motionless, and their colour assimi- 
lates so well with that of the leaves, that, according to 
Fig. 121. 
The Warbling Grass Parroiiiiet (Melopsittacus imdnlatus). 
Mr. Gould, they can hardly be distinguished. They 
breed in the holes and hollow spouts of the gum trees 
in the month of December. 
THE COLLARED LORY (Lorius domicella). — Several 
small species of this family, which inhabit the Eastern 
islands and Polynesia, are commonly called Lories. 
The characters upon which they are separated from 
the rest of the family consist principally in the com- 
parative weakness of the bill, and the peculiar structure 
of the tongue, which, instead of terminating in a soft 
fleshy cushion, is slender, and furnished with elongated 
papilla?, the latter sometimes even forming a sort of 
brush at the extremity of the organ. These birds live 
partly upon pulpy fruits and partly upon the sweet 
juices of flowers; in collecting the latter the papillae 
of the tongue come into use. The largest of these is 
the Collared Lory, a native of many of the Eastern 
islands, and also of continental India, which measures 
eleven inches- in length, and is of a bright scarlet, with 
the wings green, the shoulders and legs blue, and the 
crown of the head blue-black. A broad yellow band, 
more or less tinged with red, crosses the upper part of 
the breast, and the feathers of the short rounded tail 
are tipped with yellow, within which there is a blackish 
hand. This bird is highly esteemed as a cage bird, 
not only on account of the beauty of its plumage, but also 
VOL. z. 48 
for its docility and liveliness, and the distinctness with 
which it learns to utter words and even sentences. 
THE PAPUAN LORY {Cha7-niosyna 2 >cij)ua), one of the 
most beautiful of these birds, and indeed of the whole 
tamily of Parrots, is also of a scarlet colour, but richly 
variegated with azure-blue, yellow, and green. The 
crown of the head bears two blue spots, and the whole 
lower part of the back and the legs are also blue. 
Each side exhibits two spots of rich yellow, and the 
wings are green. The tail is long and graduated, and 
the two centre feathers are much longer than any of 
the rest ; in fact, these feathers alone measure eleven 
or twelve inches in length, whilst the actual body of 
the bird is only six inches long. The tail-feathers are 
all green at the base, and yellow at the extremity. 
This most beautiful species is a native of New Guinea. 
THE BLUE -BELLIED LORIKEET {Triclioylossus 
licematodes) is a native of Australia, where it abounds 
amongst the Eucedypti, and feeds daintily upon the 
nectar of their flower's. It is about thirteen inches in 
total length, the tail measuring six inches; the head 
and throat are bluish-purple ; the neck bears a collar 
of yellowish-green, and the rest of the upper plumage 
is bright grass-green ; the front of the neck and breast 
are bright scarlet, becoming yellow on the sides of the 
latter ; the abdomen is deep purple, and the legs scar- 
