The flight of this species, although swift, is not of long duration, nor is it characterized by those undulating sweeps common to the other members of the genus Platycercus.
Its voice is a sharp clucking note, several times repeated, in which respect it also offers a marked difference from the other Platycerci.
Forehead, crown and nape deep maroon red; cheeks yellowish green, becoming more yellow on the sides of the neck; back, scapularies and greater wing-coverts deep green; rump jonquil-yellow; edge of the shoulder, spurious wing and base of the outer webs of the primaries rich deep blue; remainder of the primaries and the secondaries deep black; breast and abdomen blue; vent and under tail-coverts scarlet; two centre tail-feathers yellowish green, deepening into black at the tip and crossed by indistinct bars of a darker tint; lateral feathers green at their base, passing into black on their inner webs, and into pale blue on the outer, both webs becoming blue towards the extremity of the feather, and fading into white at the tip; irides dark brown; bill horn-colour; legs and feet dull brown.
The Plate represents an adult male and female of the natural size.
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATOGASTER: Gould.
J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith. Hullmandel & Walton Imp.
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATOGASTER, Gould.
Crimson-bellied Parrakeet.
Platycercus hæmatogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 89.
This species of Parrakeet is an inhabitant of the interior of New South Wales, where it frequents the borders of the rivers Namoi and Darling; in all probability its range extends far to the northward; but, so far as is yet known, it has never been found in Southern or Western Australia; I met with it in tolerable abundance in the neighbourhood of the Lower Namoi, where it appeared to give a decided preference to those parts of the plains which were of a loose mouldy character, and with which the colour of its back so closely assimilates as to be scarcely distinguished from it. Like the other members of the family, it is mostly observed in small flocks, and occasionally in pairs, feeding upon the seeds of the various grasses abounding on the plains. It is only when the bird after a short flight alights on the branches, that the splendid scarlet of the belly, relieved by the yellow of the sides, is seen to advantage; when thus seen, however, it is a truly beautiful object, and is scarcely excelled by any other species of the group.
I did not ascertain any particulars respecting its nidification, but we may easily suppose that it breeds in the districts above mentioned, as I met with it there in the height of the summer.