MELITHREPTUS LATIOR, Gow.

Beautiful Honey-eater.

Melithreptus letior, Gould, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th series, Oct. 1875, Dee ove

 

Aurnouen the members of this little but well-defined genus ef Honey-eaters are so generally distributed
over the great continent of Australia and Tasmania, as yet no single species has been discovered in any
other country. What New Guinea will give us, time alone will testify. All the species of the genus
Melthreptus are of small size, and characterized by being very similarly coloured ; yet, with all this,
if due attention be given to certain peculiar characters, the specific distinctions are very evident. All have
the eyelash thickened and bare of feathers ; and in each species this naked skin is differently coloured: for
instance, in the larger species inhabitmmg Tasmania the skin is described by me from the life as being white
tinged with bright green; while I have noted (also from the living birds) that the AZ. gudaris of New South
Wales is of a beautiful bluish green. In the present bird, which is intimately allied to the species just
mentioned, the eyelash is bright yellow. After remarking that in the common JZ. linulatus of New South
Wales these same parts are bright scarlet, it will not be necessary to say more on this point with regard to
the species found in Western Australia, Port Essington, and Cape York. Every country surrounding
Australia has, then, it will be seen, a species of this genus peculiarly its own; and that the more distant
interior does not want a representative is evidenced by Mr. F. W. Andrews’s discovery of the beautiful
bird now under consideration. One thing, I expect, is pretty certain, that wherever there are Eucalypti, such
trees will be enlivened by one or another species of the present group. It has always been a supposition
on my part that some larger species will yet be discovered, so that Melithreptus and the great Lntomyze will
become more nearly united than they are now.

In writing to me about this bird, Mr. Waterhouse, to whom I am indebted for a beautiful specimen,
says :—‘ This is the finest species of the genus that I have yet seen. Only four were shot, and I send you
one of the best. When alive they had a bright yellow rim round the eyes.”

The following is a transcript from my original description as published in the ‘ Annals ’:—

Head and nape black, as well as the lores and ear-coverts ; the cheeks and a band of feathers round the
occiput pure white ; back greenish yellow, brighter on the rump and shading off into bright lemon-yellow
on the hind neck and sides of the latter; tail brown, with a narrow whitish edging at the tip, all but the
outer feathers margined with greenish yellow ; wings ashy brown, externally washed with grey, the
primaries narrowly margined with whitish; under surface of body white, the breast and flanks shaded with
ashy, and the chin black, fading into ashy brown on the throat and producing a distinct chin-stripe ; under
mineeconent: white, shaded with ashy; naked skin surrounding the eye bright yellow.

Total length 5:5 inches, culmen 0°6, wing 3:4, tail 2-7, tarsus 0:75.

Although very closely allied to IZ gularis, this species is altogether a much more finely coloured bird.
In size it is slightly larger, and is at once to be distinguished by its white under surface and the beautiful
lemon-yellow na the neck, as well as by the yellow naked skin surrounding the eye, which part is greenish
blue in Af gularis. The ashy shade which pervades the entire lower surface of 41 gularis is not seen in
M. letor.

The figures are of the natural size.

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