SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Green: crown, hind, head and nape black: temples cinereous: throat, neck, and breast fuscous with the margins of the feather sulphureous: shoulder scarlet: rump and middle of the abdomen sanguineous.
Psittacus Maculatus: viridis: vertice, occipite, nuchaque nigris: temporibus cinereis: gula, collo, pectoreque fuscis marginibus pennarum sulphureis: humeris coccineis: uropygio abdomineque medio sanguineis.
A very rare species of the Parrakeet tribe, and which is presumed to be a native of South America.
The length of this bird is nine inches and a half; the bill and legs blackish. The prevailing colour of the plumage green, front and crown of the head blueish green, the rest of the head and neck black: the feathers upon the face glossed with blue: a large ovate cinereous spot on the cheeks: throat and breast black varied with pale yellowish scollops, the margin of the feathers being a pale sulphureous yellow, the disk black: the black disk usually forming a kind of triangular spot with the point tending downwards. The wings are green, except the quill feathers, which are blue, and the butt of the wing or shoulder the colour of which is scarlet. The body beneath green with a large spot of sanguineous-purple on the abdomen. The lower part of the back and rump the same sanguineous purple colour as the abdominal spot: tail above green, the feathers purplish towards the end; beneath rufous brown.
This curious bird is nearly allied to Psittacus Squammosus, the Scaly Breasted Parrakeet, and in no very remote degree with another kind of Parrakeet, the Wavy Breasted Parrot, Psittacus Lineatus. The first of these our bird exceeds by at least an inch in length, the other by an inch and a quarter. Instead of the dark colours of the head, as in our bird, the head and neck of P. Squammosus are dull orange. The darker colouring of our bird assimilates more nearly with Psittacus Lineatus, but in other respects is entirely different. We have considered it as a new species, at the same time that it must be observed from the very close analogy that prevails between this bird and the Scaly Breasted Parrakeet, it may possibly prove hereafter to be the adult bird of that kind rather than a distinct species.
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London. Published by E. Donovan & Mess.rs Simpkin & Marshall, March 1, 1823.