Polyteles alexandrae, sp. nov.
Forehead delicate light blue; lower part of the cheeks, chin, and throat rose-pink; head, nape, mantle, back, and scapularies olive-green; lower part of the back and rump blue, of a somewhat deeper tint than that of the crown; shoulders and wing-coverts pale yellowish green; spurious wing bluish green; external webs of the principal primaries dull blue, narrowly edged with greenish yellow; the remaining primaries olive-green, edged with greenish yellow; under wing-coverts verditer-green; breast and abdomen olive-grey, tinged with vinous; thighs rosy red; upper tail-coverts olive, tinged with blue; two centre tail-feathers bluish olive-green; the two next on each side olive-green on their outer webs and dark brown on the inner ones; the remaining tail-feathers tricoloured, the central portion being black, the outer olive-grey, and the inner deep rosy red; under tail-coverts olive; bill coral red; feet nearly brown.
Total length 14 inches; bill 1/2; wing 7; tail 9; tarsi 7/8.
Habitat. Howell Ponds, Central Australia, 16 degrees 54 minutes 7 seconds South latitude.
Remark. This is in every respect a typical Polyteles, having the delicate bill and elegantly striped tail characteristic of that form. It is of the same size as P. barrabandi, but differs from that species in having the crown blue and the lower part of the cheeks rose-pink instead of yellow.
The following is a list of the other species of birds comprised in the collection:
Trichoglossus rubritorquis. Rare.
Aprosmictus erythropterus.
Platycercus brownii. Rare.
Struthidea cinerea.