_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA BOURKII.
Bourke’s Grass-Parrakeet.
_Nanodes Bourkii_, Mitch. Australian Expeditions, vol. i. p. xviii.
For a knowledge of this new species of Grass-Parrakeet, the scientific
world is indebted to Major Sir T. L. Mitchell, who discovered it on the
banks of the River Bogan, during one of his expeditions into the
interior of New South Wales. It is particularly interesting, as
exhibiting in the crescentic form of the markings on the back, an
approach to the style of colouring observable in the single species of
the genus _Melopsittacus_ (_M. undulatus_); at the same time, in its
structure it so closely assimilates to the form of the genus _Euphema_,
that I have been induced to place it in that group.
It must be regarded as a bird of the greatest rarity, since I did not
meet with it during my own expedition, nor could I gain any information
whatever respecting it; it is therefore another of those Australian
birds to which I would direct the attention of the travellers who may
hereafter visit the interior, of which it will doubtless prove to be a
denizen. The two examples obtained by Sir T. L. Mitchell are deposited
in the Museum at Sydney, and from them the accompanying figures were
taken.
Band across the forehead, shoulders above and beneath, secondaries and
base of the primaries deep blue; flanks and under tail-coverts
turquoise-blue; all the upper surface dark olive-brown, the feathers of
the wings edged with greyish white; centre of the abdomen salmon-red;
cheeks and remainder of the under surface brown, strongly tinged with
salmon-red; six middle tail-feathers deep brown, the external webs
tinged with blue; the three outer ones on each side brown at the base,
with their external webs blue and the tips white; bill dark horn-colour;
legs brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration: