PALA ORNIS SCHISTICEPS, Hodes.
Slaty-headed Parrakeet.

Paleornis schisticeps, Hodgs. Asiat. Res., vol. xix. p. 178.—Gray, Zool. Misc., p. 85.—Ib. Cat. of Spec. and Draw.
of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 113.—Blyth, Journ. Asiat.
Soc. Beng., vol. x. p. 925, and vol. xix. p. 232.—Ib. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 5.
—Tytler in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd ser. vol. xiv. p. 175.—Bonap. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 152.
—De Souancé, Rey. Zool. 1856, p. 158.—Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. 11. p. 615.

Madhana suga of the Nepalese (Hodgson).

Puhart Tuya ( Mountain Tuiya’”’), Masuri, Hutton.

Gagi of Calcutta Bird-dealers, Blyth.

 

Tue native habitat of the Pa/gornis schisticeps is the lower and warmer slopes of the great Himalayan Chain
of Mountains, along which it appears to enjoy a wide range, extending at least from Nepaul to their western
extremity; it is, however, as far as I am aware, as exclusively an inhabitant of these magnificent mountains
as the P. columboides is of the Neilgherries,—a circumstance at which we need not feel surprise, the physical
characters of the two ranges being so different that we might naturally expect to find that each possessed a
fauna peculiarly its own. In point of affinity, I consider the bird under consideration to be more intimately
allied to the P. torquatus and P. Alexandri than to the P. Columboides ; and this view is confirmed by obser-
vation of its actions and disposition in confinement, ample opportunities for which are at present afforded
by the Menagerie of the Zoological Society ; it is, however, a species of considerable rarity, and is not to be
found in every collection. We find but few original notes on record respecting this bird.

Dr. Griffith observed it in flocks at Pushut: Captain Boys met with it on the tall bill west of Bhurthal,
June 15th, 1842. Captain Tytler, in his interesting paper on the Fauna of Dacca, mentions that ‘the
Paleornis schisticeps, at all times a rare bird in the markets of Bengal, are to be had in those of Dacca.”
Mr. Blyth states that ‘“ the adult sexes differ, in the male having a small maroon spot on the wing which is
absent, or barely indicated, in the female, and the black demi-collar rather more developed. The young
have generally but a trace of the slaty blue cap, but it is fully developed in some few specimens, though
without the black demi-collar which borders the cap in the adult:” and Mr. Hodgson informs us that the
irides are straw-colour, the orbital skin slaty, and the legs dusky green ; but it would seem that some diver-
sity occurs in the colouring of these parts, as the birds living at the Gardens of the Zoological Society have
the eyes dark, the orbits yellowish olive, and the feet mealy olive, as represented in my Plate.

Head dark slate-grey, chin and moustaches black ; fore part at the neck and breast very light green ; back
of the neck verditer-green, presenting a marked contrast to the dark slate-coloured head; all the upper
surface grass-green, under surface similar, but paler ; wings dark grass-green, with a patch of dark maroon-
red on the centre of the coverts ; primaries broadly margined with green, the extreme edge being yellow ;
the inner webs dark brown ; two centre tail-feathers green at the base, blue in the middle and yellow at the
tip; lateral feathers yellow, broadly margined with light green on the basal portions of their outer webs ;

all the under surface of the tail wax-yellow ; upper mandible scarlet, under mandible paler.

The Plate represents the bird of the natural size. The beautiful plant is the Zhbaudia macrantha.