KUPHEMA PULCHELLA, Pager.

Chestnut-shouldered Grass-Parrakeet. :

Psittacus pulchellus, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 96.—Ib. Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 470.—Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 122,.—
Swains. Zool. Ill. Birds, 1st Ser. pl. 73.—Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 21—Kuhl, Nova Acta, vol. x,
p. 50.

Turcosine Parrakeet, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 89.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 185.

La Perruche Edwards, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., p. 68, female.

Psittacus chrysogaster, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 97.

Orange-bellied Parrot, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. 62.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 186.

Orange-belhed Parrakeet, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 468.

Psittacus Edwardsit, Bechst. in Lath. Uebers. der Vog., p. 74.

Nanodes pulchellus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 277.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv.
p. 118.

Lathamus azureus, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 205.

Euphema pulchella, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 493 and 542.

 

Aut those who have traversed the “ bush” in New South Wales will recognize in this lovely species an
old favourite ; during my own rambles my attention was constantly attracted by its beautiful outspread tail
and wings as it rose before me. Its sole food being the seeds of grasses and of the smaller annuals, it
spends much of its time on the ground, and appears to evince a greater partiality for stony ridges than for
the rich alluvial flats, which is probably owing to the former producing a greater supply of its favourite food.
When flushed it flies off to a short distance between the trees, perches on some dead branch for a time, and
if impelled by hunger, returns to the ground almost immediately. I have never seen this species congre-
gated in large flocks like the Euphema chrysostoma and FE. elegans; but have either met with it im pairs,
or in small companies of six or eight in number.

I did not succeed in finding a nest of this species, although I doubt not that during my visit to the district
of the Upper Hunter it was breeding everywhere around me; but Mr. Caley states, on the authority of
the natives, that it lays eight white eggs in the hole of a tree without any nest but the decayed wood.

The sexes differ so little in colour, that dissection must be resorted to to distinguish them.

Forehead, stripe over the eye, cheeks, shoulders, and lesser wing-coverts rich metallic greenish blue ;
crown of the head, back of the neck, upper surface and flanks bright olive-green ; a bright spot of chestnut-
red at the insertion of the wings ; primaries and secondaries deep blue on their outer webs, and blackish
brown on the inner; chest, centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts rich yellow ; four middle tail-
feathers green, the remainder green at the base and largely tipped with yellow ; bill and feet dark brown.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, on one of the grasses of the Upper Hunter.

em ee paren

1 AAD 2 W. AOA