KUPHEMA BOURKIL. 
Bourke’s Grass-Parrakeet. 
Nanodes Bourkii, Mitch. Australian Expeditions, vol. i. p. xviii. 
For a knowledge of this new species of Grass-Parrakeet, the scientific world is indebted to Major Sir T. L. 
Mitchell, who discovered it on the banks of the River Bogan, during one of his expeditions into the interior 
of New South Wales. It is particularly interesting, as exhibiting, in the crescentic form of the markings on 
the back, an approach to the style of colouring observable in the single species of the genus Melopsittacus 
(MW. undulatus); at the same time, in its structure it so closely assimilates to the form of the genus Luphema, 
that I have been induced to place it in that group. 
It must be regarded as a bird of the greatest rarity, since I did not meet with it during my own expe- 
dition, nor could I gain any information whatever respecting it; it is therefore another of those Australian 
birds to which I would direct the attention of the travellers who may hereafter visit the interior, of which 
it will doubtless prove to be a denizen. The two examples obtained by Sir T. L. Mitchell are deposited in 
the Museum at Sydney, and from them the accompanying figures were taken. 
Band across the forehead, shoulders above and beneath, secondaries and base of the primaries deep blue ; 
flanks and under tail-coverts turquoise-blue ; all the upper surface dark olive-brown, the feathers of the 
wings edged with greyish white; centre of the abdomen salmon-red; cheeks and remainder of the under 
surface brown, strongly tinged with salmon-red; six middle tail-feathers deep brown, the external webs 
tinged with blue; the three outer ones on each side brown at the base, with their external webs blue and 
the tips white ; bill dark horn-colour ; legs brown. 
The figures are of the natural size. 
MET as 
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