Page:The Emu volume 21.djvu/120

 Adult Female.—Very similar in plumage to the male, but smaller; with less colour on the wings, cheeks, abdomen and tail. Total length, 260 mm.; wing, 113 mm.; culmen, 18 mm.; tarsus, 20 mm.; tail, 153 mm.

Immature Male.—The immature male upon leaving the nest carries plumage very similar to that of the mature female; but with a marked wash of bright yellow over the feathers of body and wings.

The finding of a new parrot is such a notable event in the ornithological world, that a few remarks upon the discovery of Psephotus narethae may not be out of place.

Captain S. A. White, having worked up the birds on the eastern edge of the great Nullarbor Plain, it was suggested to me that similar useful data should be obtained on the Western Australian side, some 430 miles distant; the intervening country, about the size of the State of Victoria, being level, treeless and waterless.

Having secured the services of Mr. F. L. Whitlock, who had previously done such wonderfully good work for me, I suggested Zanthus, on the trans-Australian railway line. 130 miles east of Kalgoorlie, as a starting point.

Certain concessions having been kindly granted by the Commonwealth Railway Department, Mr. Whitlock fixed his camp at Zanthus during July, but soon found he was too far to the west; and an important matter coming under his notice, hastened his departure. A railway official had in captivity a parrot, said to have been taken at Naretha, 75 miles further east, near the edge of the great plain, the bird agreeing with no published description.

Business calling me to Perth, I passed Zanthus on the 1st August last, and met Mr. Whitlock there for a quarter-of-an-hour's talk. Upon hearing of the pet parrot, I said: "Get away to Naretha without delay, and report to me there on my return journey." On the 8th, Mr. Whitlock met the train at Naretha. and handed me three (3) skins, saying he thought the bird was new.

Upon arrival at Adelaide, I had a few minutes' conversation with Captain White, who gave an opinion that the parrot was a good species. A careful comparison at the National Museum, Melbourne, settled the matter conclusively.

The discovery of this bird points to the possibility of the Nullarbor plain separating certain eastern and western forms, in a manner similar to that noted in North-West Australia, where a wide stretch of desert country extending south from Broome appears to act as a barrier to certain forms of bird life.