PTILOTIS MARMORATA, Sharpe.

Mottled-breasted Honey-sucker.

Ptilotis marmorata, Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. vol. xvi. pp. 319, 438 (1882).

 

Tuts large Honey-sucker was discovered by Mr. Goldie in the Astrolabe Mountains in South-eastern New
Guinea. It is very closely allied to P. cinerea from North-western New Guinea, but is distinguished from it by
the whitish edgings to the breast-feathers.

Nothing has been recorded of the habits of these Honey-suckers ; but they doubtless do not differ from
those of the ordinary species of Péilotis. Mr. Goldie’s specimens were obtained in the Morocco district, at
the back of the Astrolabe range. He says that the native name is haga.

The following is a copy of the original description :—

“General colour above dusky brown, the feathers margined with olive, rather lighter on the head, which
has a mottled appearance ; on the forehead and over the eye a slight shade of ashy; wing-coverts like the back,
but the outer median and greater coverts edged with paler olive, inclining to whity brown near the tips; quills
and tail dusky, externally edged with yellowish olive, the tail-feathers margined with light rufous on the inner
web ; sides of face and ear-coverts dusky blackish, with a slight shade of silvery whitish on the ear-coverts,
and a streak of dull white from behind the lores under the eye; cheeks dusky blackish, with a slight indication
of ashy tips to the feathers ; a narrow malar streak of dull yellowish white ; throat yellowish white, mottled
with dusky bases to the feathers ; remainder of under surface of body ashy, the feathers tipped with a white
bar and slightly washed with olive ; the whole appearance of the under surface mottled, excepting on the
lower flanks, which are uniform olive; thighs dusky; under tail-coverts light rufous with dusky bases, the
outer ones externally yellowish white, mottled with dusky bases to the feathers ; axillaries pale olive-yellowish ;
under wing-coverts light rufous-buff; quills dusky below, pale rufous along the inner web. Total Jength
7 inches, culmen 1:05, wing 3°8, tail 3°7, tarsus 1-05.” :

The figure in the Plate is drawn from one of Mr. Goldie’s specimens kindly lent to me by Mr. Edward

Gerrard, jun. [R.B.S.]

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