PSITTEUTELES ARFAKI, 
Arfak Lorikeet. 
Trichoglossiis (Charmosynd) arfalci, Meyer, Verb. z.-b. Gesellscb. Wien, 1874, p. 37. 
arfaki, Meyer, Sitz. k. Akad. M^ien, Ixix. p. 74 (1874). — Rowley, Oni. Misc. part 3 (1876). 
The miiuitc size and singular coloration of tbe outer tail-feathers, u liich make this tiny Parrot resemble at 
first sight one of the Indian Minivets {Pericrocotus), caused me no little astonishment when I first uncovered 
the specimen which Dr. Meyer was so kind as to send over to me from Dresden for the purpose of 
fo-nrinff: hut I further found that, in addition to these characteristics, it differed from all its allies in having 
fourteen tail-feathers instead of twelve. This peculiarity would almost he sufficient to ])lace it in a sejuirate 
genus ; hut this I cannot bring myself to do, in the face of its evident affinity toP. placem and P. ivUIielmince : 
and when we consider that certain Snipes are still retained in the genus GnUinago which present similar 
variations in the number of the tail-feathers to that exhibited by these little Lorikeets, it is not unreasonable 
to keep the latter in one and the same genus. 
Only three specimens were procured hy Dr. Meyer during his trip to the Arfak Mountains, one old male 
in full livery and two young ones ; one of the latter passed into the collection of Count Turati, of Milan, 
and the other into that of Mr. Dawson Rowley, of Brighton, by whom it was figured in Ins interesting work 
the ‘ Ornithological Miscellany.’ I am much indebted to this gentleman for the loan of his specimen, which 
is depicted in the adjoining Plate along with the adult male retained by Dr. Meyer for the Dresden 
collection and sent over by him to England. The plate in the ‘ Ornithological Miscellany ’ represents the 
bird to he a female ; hut I am assured by Dr. Meyer that some error must have occurred by the displace- 
ment of the original label ; for he himself dissected the three specimens shot, and proved them to he 
males, one being adult, as before noted, and the other two immature : these had the colouring incomplete 
except as regards their tails ; hut in size, as is often the case with young birds, they somewhat exceeded the 
adult. It Is one of these young birds that has been figured hy Mr. Dawson Rowley. 
That this is a honey-eating Parrot I have no doubt, its general cliaracteristics uniting it with this grouj) of 
the Parrots ; hut its colours are strikingly anomalous. Fancy a little bird, scarcely bigger than a Bearded 
Reedling (CalamophUus biarmicus) with a tail like that of a Minivet (Pericrocotus), and exhihiting a silvery 
tear-mark running down a cheek of smutty blue, and we have some of the peculiarities of this curious form. 
The Plate, however, gives a better idea of the bird than can be gained from any remarks of mine. The 
following is a more detailed description of the old male : — 
The half of the crown nearest the bill, the under part of the shoulders, flanks, centre of the abdomen, 
and apical half of the outer tail-feathers bright red, while the base of each of the feathers last mentioned 
is jet-black ; the rest of the plumage both above and below fine grass-green ; the margins of the primaries 
washed with blue; sides efface dull blue, with a silvery streak running down the centre; the under surface 
of all the primaries and secondaries jet-black, crossed hy a V-shaped band of bright yellow ; hill and feet 
black. 
Total length 6 inches, wing 2f, tail 3f, hill i, tarsi r. 
Hub. Arfak Mountains, N.W. Guinea. 
The figures represent the old and young birds, of the size of life. 
