NASITERNA BRUIJNII, Salvad. 
Bruijn’s Pyg*my Parrot. 
Nasiterna hruynii, Sah'ad. Ann. Mus. Civic, Genov, vii. pp. 715 (note), 753 . sp. 13 , pi. xxi. p. 907 ( 1875 ). — Sclater, 
Ibis, 1876 , p. 255 . — Salvad, Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, x. p. 25 . sp. 8 ( 1877 ). 
This is the most beautiful of the Pygmy Parrots, and is altogether a lovely little bird. It seems to have 
escaped the observations both of Dr. Meyer and Signor D’ Albertis, but was discovered by the collectors of 
Heer Bruijn, whose name is now so famous for the wonderful novelties collected by his means in North-western 
New Guinea. But I must let Count Salvadorl tell the story of his little favourite, tliough I here take the 
opportunity of returning him my most cordial thanks for an act of liberality not easily to be forgotten. 
During a recent visit to London he showed me a series of these Pygmy Parrots ; and on my asking permis- 
sion to figure them in the present work he not only acceded to my request, but furnished me with the full 
synonymy of the species, as it is about to be published by him in his work on the ornithology of the 
Moluccan and Papuan Islands. 
Concerning Nasiterna hniijmi he writes to me : — “This species was discovered by the men employed by 
Mr. Bruijn in the Arfak Mountains, where they first obtained a male bird: afterwards Beccari and Bruijn’s 
hunters got some more male specimens, and also succeeded in procuring the female. Both sexes have been 
described by me ; and I have seen altogether nine specimens. 
“Tbe males, according as they are more or less adult, vary a little as regards the red colour of the 
pileum and of the cheeks, being more or less brilliant on these parts ; some (among them the type) have 
these parts dull fulvous tinged with rosy red : a young bird, not sexed, is like the females, only smaller. Tbe 
bill of this species is very small. 
“Nothing is known about the habits of this the most beautiful species of the genus Nasiterna ; hut in all 
probability it is found in the mountainous districts only.” 
The following description is from Count Salvadori’s MSS.: — 
^’■Male. Green, the feathers narrowly edged with black ; primaries and anterior secondaries blackish, edged 
with green ; wing-coverts black, with rather wide green edges ; pileum, cheeks, and middle of the under 
parts, with the under tail-coverts bright red, the red pileum changing into brown towards the occiput, and 
surrounded by a bright blue band, which, from the nape, encircling the red cheeks, extends dowji to the 
throat, whence it descends on the sides of the breast: the two middle tail-feathers blue, with a round 
black spot near the tip ; the other rectrices are black, with a red-orange spot on the tip of the inner web ; 
the outer tail-feathers have the outer web partly bluish ; bill and feet horny grey. 
'•'Female. The upper parts green ; the underparts also green, but inclining to yellowish along the middle 
and on the under tail-coverts ; pileum bright blue ; forehead whitish ; cheeks pale reddish, the throat 
slightly washed with blue ; the wings and the tail as in the male ; hut the lateral tail-feathers have the spots 
at the tip orange-yellow. Total length 3-7 inches, wing 2-9-2-7, tail 1-2-1-1, bill from the forehead 0-4.” 
With regard to the Plate of this bird I have indulged my memory a little, having seen thousands of 
pairs of not distantly allied species in the space of as many yards in the interior of Australia, breeding 
in the spouts of the decayed branches of the gum-tree. The upper pair of birds in this case are supposed 
to be already mated, while the lower pair are represented in the act of courtship. 
