CYCLOPSITTACUS CERVICALIS, Saiv. D'Aib. 
Southern Ring’ed Perroquet. 
Cyclopsittacus cervicalis, Salvad. & D’ Albert. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, vii. p. 811 (^1875). Salvad. tom. cit. 
p 911— Id. op. cit. ix. p. 12 (1876); x. p. 28 (1877).— Sharpe, Proc. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 310 
(1878). — D’Albert. & Salvad. op. cit. xiv. p. 30 (1879). 
This beautiful species was first discovered by Signor D’ Albertis, in South-eastern New Guinea, on Mount 
Epa. It is, as Count Salvadorl has rightly pointed out, a representative in the southern part of New Guinea 
of C. desmaresti, which comes from Doray. It is, perhaps, more strictly allied to C. hlythli of Mysol, like 
which species it has no blue spot under the eye. The differences are pointed out by Count Salvador! ; and 
the diagnosis which lie assigns to the present species reads as follows : — “ Cheeks reddish orange ; on the 
breast a single band of blue only ; binder neck entirely blue.” It would seem, however, that even at the 
time when he wrote this description he was not in possession of a perfectly adult bird, as the blue on the 
hind neck is now known to disappear with age. For a knowledge of the different stages of plumage through 
which the present species passes we are indebted to the recent labours of Signor D’Albertis, who procured 
a series of some thirty examples from the Fly River ; and an exhaustive account has been written on the 
progress of this bird to maturity by Count Salvador! in his description of D’Albertis’s Fly-River collections. 
The Count remarks that this species, which is more beautiful than any of its allies, is remarkable for the 
extreme variability of its plumage — a fact which is not observable in any of the others. From individuals 
having the hind neck blue with a pectoral band of dull blue and the hinder ear-coverts red above and blue 
below, a perfect passage is found to specimens which have the hind neck orange-red like the head, with a 
cervical collar of fine yelloAV, and with a pectoral band of clear sky-blue and the ear-coverts entirely yellow. 
The latter is the adult dress ; and between the young ones and this stage D’Albertis’s collection contained a 
number of examples in different stages of transition. 
Beyond tbe specimens of this Perroipiet Avhich Signor D’Albertis possesses, I have seen but one othei% 
which was obtained by the late Dr. James in the Eucalyptus-range on the mainland of South-eastern New 
Guinea to the east of Yule Island. This specimen was fully described by Mr. BoAvdler Sharpe, and is now 
in my collection, but it is evidently not quite adult. 
I translate hercAvith the descriptions Avhich Count Salvador! has recently published of the adult and young- 
plumages of this beautiful sjiecies : — 
“ Adult. Green ; the head and neck reddish orange, a collar round the hind neck beautiful yellow, sides 
of the head yellow, more or less tinged Avith reddish orange ; a band across the fore part of the breast, and 
the sides of the breast, pale blue ; upper breast tinged with beautiful orange, a concealed red spot on the 
inner quill-feathers. 
“ Young. Green ; the head reddish orange, clearer yellow behind ; the hind neck beautiful blue ; the 
fore part of the sides of the head reddish orange, the hinder part yellow ; the posterior ear-coverts above 
reddish orange, beloAV blue ; a band across tbe fore part of the breast bright blue ; the sides of the breast 
pale blue ; a concealed yellow spot on the inner quills. 
“ Total length 7’\ inches, culmen 1, wing 4’6, tail 2'1, tarsus 0'5.” 
According to Signor D’Albertis the bill is black, the feet greenish, the iris has an inner circle of 
chestnut-brown and an outer one of red. 
The food consists of fruits. 
I have to offer my best thanks to Signor D’Albertis for having placed at my disposal for perfecting 
the present Plate six magnificent examples of this fine Parrot, for which liberality I feel, as will also, I 
am sure, the public who are interesting themselves in this New-Guinea work, greatly obliged — all such 
discoveries going to confirm the opinion frequently expressed by myself, and others that “ New Guinea 
is the country left for the researches of ornithologists,” the natural productions being so marvellous. 
