CYCLOPSITTA MELANOGENYS. 
Black-cheeked Perroquet. 
Psittacula melanogema, Rosenberg, Tijdschr, voor Nederl. Indie, xxix. p. 142 (1866). — Schlegel, Nederb 
Tijdschr. voor de Dierk. iii. p. 330 (1866).— Rosenberg, Reis naar de Zuidoostereilanden, p. 49 
(1867).— Gray, Hand-1, of Birds, ii. p. 168 (1870).— Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Psittaci, p. 35 (1874). 
Psittacula melanogenys, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 627 (1868). 
Cgclopsittacus melanogenys, Salvador!, Annali Mus. Civic. Genov, ix. p. 14 (1876-7).— Id. op. cit. x. p. 29 (1877). 
I HAVE figured in iny different works several species of these little Perroquets, which appear to form a small 
group inhabiting only New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, and extending into North-eastern 
Australia. 
During the course of the present work several new species have been discovered ; and the most of these 
belong to the orange-breasted section of the genus Cyclopsitta. 
As Count Salvador! remarks, the distribution of these birds is truly remarkable, especially as regards 
the present bird and its two nearest allies : thus C. melanogenys is found in the Aru Islands, and is replaced 
in South-eastern New Guinea, where so many of the birds are identical with Aru species, by C. siiamsima ; 
while on the Fly river, which is an intermediate locality, occurs C, fuscifrons. Von Rosenberg procured 
examples of the present bird in the three islands of Wokam, Wonoumbai, and Mikor (all in the Am 
group), where, they are known to the natives by the name of Joa. Professor Schlegel gives a full 
description of the bird, and makes the following remarks, which I extract from his paper; — 
“ The Aru group produces a little Psittacula which has escaped the researches of Mr. Wallace, but of 
which M. von Rosenberg has furnished us w'ith four individuals, viz. an adult male and female, and two si)e- 
cimens marked as males but wearing the livery of the females. This species is allied by its general form 
and its system of coloration to our Psittacula gulielmi III., which inhabits Salawati and the neighbouring 
coast of New Guinea; and it appears to replace it in the Aru archipelago. It is, however, much smaller in 
size, all its colours are less vivid, the black bar on the ear-coverts is proper to both sexes, the yellow of 
the loral region is re])laced by white, and the blue of the forehead and the superciliary streak are also 
blackish ; the greater under wing-coverts, instead of being uniform blackish, are yellowish and only tijjped 
with blackish ; the quills have all of them, excepting the first two, a very large yellowish band on their inner 
web, whereas in P. gulielmi III., this band is either in no way pronounced, or slightly indicated, passing 
insensibly to blackish, and confined to the secondary quills. The chest is always tinged or washed with 
yellow or orange-red.” 
The following is a translation of the description given by the learned Professor : — 
Adult male. General colour grass-green, passing to yellowish green on the lower parts and to blackish 
on the inner webs of the quills. Forehead, region of the eye, and the whole of the ])osterior portion of the 
ear-coverts and the moustachial plumes of a slightly pronounced black ; behind the region of the ear a \'ery 
large patch extending onto the chin, of a white colour, washed with orange-yellow ; the chest of a dark 
orange-rufous, not very bright ; lower edge of wing, as also the outer edge of the primaries, blue ; lesser 
and median under wing-coverts yellowish green, passing into blue towards the edge of the wing ; greater 
under wing-coverts yellowish, but blackish at the tip ; inner web of the quills, with the exception of the 
first two, having a very large yellow band. 
The female and the male in imperfect plumage are distinguished from the adult male in the colour of the 
large patch behind the region of the ear, which is not white, but of a lively orange -yellow, the part of which 
occupying the chin passes into a greyish blue ; lastly the chest is simply washed with orange-yellow. Von 
Rosenberg gives the colours of the soft parts as follows : — “ Bill, feet, and iris dark greyish brown.” 
The figures in the accompanying Plate are of the size of life, and are a male and a young bird from the Aru 
Islands. 
