NASITERNA B RUIJNI iF Salvad.
Bruijn’s Pygmy Parrot.

Nasiterna bruni, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. vii. pp. 715 (note), 753. sp. 13, pl. xxi. p. 907 (1875).—Sclater
' . : ae en ORG 375).—Sclater,
Ibis, 1876, p. 255.—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. x. p. 25. sp. 8 (1877).

 

Tuis 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 Salvadori tell the story of his little favourite, though 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. as

Concerning Nasiterna bruijnit 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.

“The 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. The
bill of this species is very small.

“Nothing is known about the habits of this the most beautiful species of the genus /Vasiterna; but in all
probability it is found in the mountainous districts only.”

The following description is from Count Salvadori’s MSS. :—

‘Vale. Green, the feathers narrowly edged with black ; primaries and anterior secondaries blackish, edged
with gréen; 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 down 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 immer 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; but 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.
to be already mated, while the Jower pair are represented in the act of courtship.

The upper pair of birds in this case are supposed