MYZOMELA WAKOLOENSIS, HT. O. Forbes.

Lake Wakolo Honey-eater.

Myzomela wakoloensis, Forbes, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1883, p. 116

 

iicmespecies of Honey-sucker was discovered by Mr. H. O. Forbes during his expedition to the Malay
Archipelago, in the island of Bourou. Even in that island he met with it in one place only, Lake Wakolo,
a locality to which few Europeans have ever penetrated before.

In general appearance it resembles M. cruentata of Meyer (figured in this work) more than any other
species of Myzomela, but it is quite distinct specifically. The tint of the red colouring is quite different, and
the black wings with their olive margins to the quills, as well as the absence of red on the tail, are good
specific characters.

Adult male. General colour above scarlet vermilion; the feathers of the back and scapulars black at base,
with broad ends of scarlet vermilion ; rump and upper tail-coverts like the back; lesser and median wing-
coverts black, the innermost of the latter tipped with scarlet; greater coverts and quills blackish, edged
narrowly with olive-yellowish; bastard wing and primary-coverts blackish; tail-feathers blue-black ; head
like the back; lores black; sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, throat, and under surface of body bright
scarlet, the feathers of the latter part with dusky bases; vent and under tail-coverts pale olive-yellowish,
with dusky centres and somewhat tinged with red; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, with a
yellowish tinge along the edge of the wing; quills dusky below, ashy white along the edge of the inner
web, with dusky centres ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white ; the quills dusky below, whitish along the
edge of the inner web; “bill black, the lower mandible yellow at base ; legs and feet sooty grey ; iris dark
brown ” (1. O. Forbes). Total length 3:6 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2:08, tail 1-3, tarsus 0°65.

Mr. Forbes unfortunately did not procure an adult female, but he managed to get the immature male,
which will doubtless give us some idea of the plumage of the old hen bird.

The young male is brown above, with pale streaks on the forehead ; wing-coverts ee Eon os
with paler or whity brown; quills dusky, edged with an olive fringe, the inner secondaries margined with
tail-feathers dusky brown, with olive-brown edges; lores brown, tinged with

pale brown, like the coverts ; : uh
le yellowish, with a distinct

red; ear-coverts and cheeks ochreous brown, with a reddish tinge ; throat pa
wash of red on the chin; lower throat and fore neck more ashy; abdomen yellowish white, the breast and
sides of the body browner; under tail-coverts ruddy brown. Total length 3-7 inches, culmen 0°6, wing

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