CYCLOPSITTACUS CERVICALIS, Saw. & D Au.

Southern Ringed Perroquet.

Cyclopsittacus cervicalis, Salvad. & D’Albert. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. vil. p. 811 (1875).—Salvad. tom. cit.
Dp) Olly op. cite ip. 12) (1S76)5 xp) 28) (877) Shampe, Erocy Winns Soc. xine py 30
(1878).—D’Albert. & Salvad. op. cit. xiv. p. 30 (1879).

 

Tuts beautiful species was first discovered by Signor D’Albertis, in South-eastern New Guinea, on Mount
Epa. It is,as Count Salvadori has rightly pointed out, a representative in the southern part of New Guinea
of C. desmaresti, which comes from Doray. It is, perhaps, more strictly allied to C. dlythi of Mysol, like
which species it has no blue spot under the eye. The differences are pointed out by Count Salvadori; and
the diagnosis which he assigns to the present species reads as follows :—‘‘ Cheeks reddish orange ; on the
breast a single band of blue only; hinder neck entirely blue.” It would seem, however, that even at the
time when he wrote this description he was not in possession of a perfectly adult bird, as the blue on the
hind neck is now known to disappear with age. For a knowledge of the different stages of plumage through
which the present species passes we are indebted to the recent labours of Signor D’Albertis, who procured
a series of some thirty examples from the Fly River; and an exhaustive account has been written on the
progress of this bird to maturity by Count Salvadori in his description of D’Albertis’s Fly-River collections.
The Count remarks that this species, which is more beautiful than any of its allies, is remarkable for the
extreme variability of its plumage—a fact which is not observable in any of the others. From individuals
having the hind neck blue with a pectoral band of dull blue and the hinder ear-coverts red above and blue
below, a perfect passage is found to specimens which have the hind neck orange-red like the head, with a
cervical collar of fine yellow, and with a pectoral band of clear sky-blue and the ear-coverts entirely yellow.
The latter is the adult dress; and between the young ones and this stage D’Albertis’s collection contained a
number of examples in different stages of transition.

Beyond the specimens of this Perroquet which Signor D’Albertis possesses, I have seen but one other,
which was obtained by the late Dr. James in the Eucalyptus-range on the mainland of South-eastern New
Guinea to the east of Yule Island. This specimen was fully described by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, and is now
in my collection, but it is evidently not quite adult.

I translate herewith the descriptions which Count Salvadori has recently published of the adult and young
plumages of this beautiful species :—

‘“* ddult. Green; the head and neck reddish orange, a collar round the hind neck beautiful yellow, sides
of the bead yellow, more or less tinged with reddish orange; a band across the fore part of the breast, and
the sides of the breast, pale blue ; upper breast tinged with beautiful orange, a concealed red spot on the
inner quill-feathers.

“ Young. Green; the head reddish orange, clearer yellow behind; the hind neck beautiful blue; the
fore part of the sides of the head reddish orange, the hinder part yellow ; the posterior ear-coverts above
reddish orange, below blue ; a band across the fore part of the breast bright blue; the sides of the breast
pale blue; a concealed yellow spot on the inner quills.

‘¢ Total length 7-1 inches, culmen 1, wing 4°6, tail 2-1, tarsus 0°5.”

According to Signor D’Albertis the bill is black, the feet greenish, the iris has an inner circle of
chestnut-brown and an outer one of red.

The food consists of fruits.

I have to offer my best thanks to Signor D’Albertis for having placed at my disposal for perfecting
the present Plate six magnificent examples of this fine Parrot, for which liberality I feel, as will also, I

 

am sure, the public who are interesting themselves in this New-Guinea work, greatly obliged—all such

discoveries going to confirm the opinion frequently expressed by myself, and others that ‘* New Guinea
is the country left for the researches of ornithologists,” the natural productions being so marvellous.