Appendices 137 
gorge et le tour de la face.’ Dubois, who visited Madagascar 
and Bourbon in 1669-72, gives the following account of the 
Parrots of the latter island :— 
‘ Perroquets gris, qui sont aussi bons que des Pigeons. Voila 
le meilleur Gibier de l’lsle. 
‘ II y a de plusieurs autres sortes de Peroquets dont on ne 
mange point; sgavoir. 
‘ Perroquets un peu plus gros que pigeons ayant le plumage de 
couleur de petit gris, un chaperon noir sur la teste, le becq fort 
gros & couleur de feu. 
‘ Perroquets verts, gros comme pigeons, ayant un collier noir. 
‘ Perroquets verts de mesme grosseur, ay&nt la teste de dessus 
des ailes & la queue couleur de feu. 
£ Perroquets tout verts de la mesme grosseur. 
‘ Perroquets des trois fagons comme cy-dessus, qui ne sont pas 
plus gros que des Merles’ [ Vide ante , p. 78]. 
Now, considering that Dubois was not a technical ornitholo¬ 
gist, his indication of these different kinds of Parrots seems to be 
reasonably good; and the first of those, which he says are not 
eaten, may fairly be identified with 1 Le Mascarin,' though the 
black on the face of that bird cannot be correctly described as 
forming a ‘chaperon.’ But if we reject this identification, we 
shall find that we have to account for the species of Parrot, both 
connected with the same island, and, so far as we can judge, very 
similar in appearance, differing, indeed, only in the position of a 
black mark on the head. 
De Querhoent’s assurance was confirmed in 1784 by Mauduyt, 
who says ( Encycl. Meth. ii. p. 196):—‘On trouve le mascarin a 
l’ile de Bourbon; j’en ai vu plusieurs vivans a Paris; c’etoient 
des oiseaux assez doux; ils n’avoient en leur faveur que leur bee 
rouge qui tranchoit agreablement sur le fond sombre de leur 
plumage; ils n’avoient point appris a parler.’ 
It is true that for many years past Madagascar has been given 
as the habitat of P. mascarinus ; it is therefore worth while 
enquiring into the evidence in favour of that locality; and it will 
be found that—apart from the supposition, already quoted, of 
Buffon—there was nothing to point to Madagascar till Levaillant 
in 1805 declared (Hist. Nat. Perroquets , ii. p. 112):—‘Le Mas¬ 
carin se trouve a Madagascar, et meme assure-t-on, a l’ile de 
Bourbon.’ Thus the locality commonly assigned, really rests with 
this writer, so notoriously untrustworthy in the matter of locali¬ 
ties ; and it may be remarked that he does not adduce the 
