_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
Pennant’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Pennantii_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 90.
———— _gloriosus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 53.
———— _splendidus_, Shaw, Mus., Lev. pl. 7. p. 27.
_Perruche à large queue_, Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., pls. 78, 79.
_Pennantian Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. i. p. 61; vol. ii. p.
83.—Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 154.—White’s Journ., pl. in pp. 174,
175.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 410. pl. 56.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 131.
_Psittacus elegans_, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 318.—Kuhl, Consp.
Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 55.
_Platycercus Pennantii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
280.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. p. 535. pl. 17.—Selb. in Nat. Lib.
Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 173. pl. 25.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p.
208.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 146.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of
Birds, 2nd edit. p. 66.
_Dulang_ and _Julang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This beautiful bird is very generally dispersed over New South Wales,
where it inhabits grassy hills and brushes, particularly those of the
Liverpool range and all similar districts. Its food consists of berries
and the seeds of various grasses, to obtain which it descends in small
companies to the bases of the hills and to the open glades; I have often
flushed it from such situations, and when six or eight rose together
with outspread tails of beautiful pale blue, offering a decided contrast
to the rich scarlet livery of the body, I could never fail to pause and
admire the splendour of their appearance, of which no description can
give an adequate idea; the _Platycerci_ must, in fact, be seen in their
native wilds before their beautiful appearance can be appreciated, or
the interesting nature of their habits at all understood. Although I
have stated that New South Wales is the true habitat of this bird, I
must not fail to record that individuals have come under my notice which
had been killed in Norfolk Island; I am led to believe, however, that
the bird must have been taken thither from New South Wales, and that a
sufficient number had either escaped or been let loose to establish a
breed. The habitats of the various _Platycerci_ are generally very
restricted; it is not probable therefore that the range of this species
extends to an island several hundred miles distant from the main land;
how far it may range along the south coast, or to the eastward and
northward of New South Wales, I have never satisfactorily ascertained; I
have seen it from Kangaroo Island, but I never met with it in the belts
of the Murray, or in any of the forests round Adelaide, its place in
that part of the country being supplied by the _Platycercus Adelaidiæ_.
As I have said, the food of this species principally consists of berries
and grass-seeds, but insects appear occasionally to form a part of its
diet, as I found the crop of one specimen filled with small
caterpillars; it was, however, a solitary occurrence.
Like the other members of the genus, the _Platycercus Pennantii_ runs
rapidly over the ground, but its flight is neither rapid nor enduring.
In disposition it is tame and destitute of distrust, and as a pet for
the aviary or a cage, few birds can exceed it in interest or beauty;
consequently it is one of the commonest of the living parrakeets sent
from Australia to this country.
It breeds in the holes of the large gum-trees, generally selecting those
on the hill-sides within the brushes; and of such situations, the cedar
brushes of the Liverpool range appear to be a favourite locality. The
months of September, October and November constitute the breeding
season. It makes no nest, but deposits its eggs, which are white, about
an inch and two lines long, eleven and a half lines broad, and from four
to seven in number, on the rotten wood at the bottom of the hole.
The colouring of the sexes when fully adult is alike, but much variation
exists between youth and maturity; during the first autumn the young
birds are clothed in a plumage of a nearly uniform green; to this
succeeds a parti-coloured livery of scarlet, blue and green, which
colouring is continually changing until the full plumage of maturity is
assumed; and hence has arisen no little confusion respecting this
species in the writings of the older ornithologists, and it is not to be
wondered at that its synonyms are so numerous.
The adult male has the head, neck, all the under surface, the rump and
upper tail-coverts rich deep crimson-red; the feathers of the back and
scapularies black, broadly margined with rich crimson-red; the cheeks
and shoulders cœrulean blue; the greater wing-coverts pale blue; the
primaries and secondaries black, with the basal half of their external
webs margined with deep blue; the two centre tail-feathers green,
passing into blue on their margins and at the tip; the remainder black
on the inner webs for three-fourths of their length; deep blue for
nearly the same length on their outer webs, and largely tipped on both
webs with pale blue, which becomes still paler to the tips of the
feathers; bill horn-colour; irides very dark brown; feet blackish brown.
The young vary so much, that to give an accurate description is almost
impossible; one now before me has the crown of the head, sides of the
neck, centre of the breast, abdomen, rump, upper and under tail-coverts
deep crimson-red; the upper surface and a broad band across the breast
deep grass-green; the cheeks, wings and tail similar to those parts in
the adult, but much less brilliant.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird of the natural size.
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