Plyctolophus Leadbeateri. - Vigors.

Plyctolophus Leadbeateri, Vigors, Philos. Mag. 1831 p. 55. Lear's Parrots. - Cacatua Leadbeateri, Wag. Mon. Psxtt. in Abhand. 692, sp. 3.

Distinguished by its tricoloured crest of scarlet, yellow, and white, composed, like that of the other Cockatoos, of long acuminate feathers, with the tips directed forwards, and which can be erected and expanded like a fan, or depressed at the pleasure of the bird. It is a native of Australia, and was first made known and described from a specimen which came into the possession of Mr Leadbeater, well known to ornithologists, and whose name Mr Vigors has selected for its specific title. In size it fuWy equals, or perhaps a little exceeds, the lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. The bill is of a pale greyish-white; the upper mandible strongly sinuated and toothed; the irides of a deep brown; the naked orbits whitish. The feathers at the immediate base of the bill are crimson, forming a narrow band or fillet; those of the forehead are white, tinged with red.

Plate 15. Plyctolophus Leadbeateri. Tricolour Crested Cockatoo Native Of Australia.

Plate 15. Plyctolophus Leadbeateri. Tricolour-Crested Cockatoo Native Of Australia.

The feathers forming the proper crest are long and acuminate, the tips bending forwards, their basal half crimson, divided by a bar of rich yellow, the remainder pure white. The whole of the body is white, tinged deeply with crimson upon the neck, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts. The under surface of the wings is rich crimson-red. Its legs and toes are deep grey, the scales distinctly marked by lighter lines. Of its peculiar habits and economy we are unable to give any detailed account, which we greatly regret, as it is the knowledge of these interesting particulars, which point to the natural station of each individual, and mark the minute differences between nearly allied species, that give a zest to the study, and reward the naturalist for the drier and more technical parts of zoological science. Another Australian species is the Helmeted Cockatoo, Plyctolophus galeritus, enumerated by Mr Vigors and Dr Horsfield in their description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnaean Society; and as its habits are presumed to resemble in many respects those of the other species, we quote their observations, as extracted from M. Caley's Notes. "This bird is called by the natives Car-away and Cur-iang. I have often met with it in large flocks at the influx of the Grose and the Hawkes-bury Rivers, below Mulgo'ey on the former river, and in the long meadow near the Nepean River. They are shy, and not easily approached. The flesh of the young ones is accounted good eating. I have heard from tbe natives that it makes its nest in the rotten limbs of trees, of nothing more than the vegetable mould formed by the decayed parts of the bough ; that it has no more than two young ones at a time; and that the eggs are white, without spots. The natives first find where the nests are, by the bird making co'tora in an adjoining tree, which lies in conspicuous heaps on the ground. Co'tora is the bark stripped off the smaller branches, and cut into small pieces. When the young ones are nearly fledged, the old birds cut a quantity of small branches from the adjoining trees, but never from that in which the nest is situated. They are sometimes found to enter the hollow limb as far as two yards. The nests are generally found in a black-butted gum-tree) and also in Coroy'bo, Cajim-bora, and Yarrowar'ry trees (species of Eucalyptus)." Our next figure represents the Plyctolophus sulphureus.