MELIPOTES GYMNOPS, Seiater.
Naked-faced Honey-eater.

Melipotes gymnops, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 695, fig. 3 & pl. 56.—A. B. Meyer, Sitzungsber. der k.-k.
Akad. d. Wissenschaften zu Wien, lxx. 1874, p. 128.—T. Salvadori, Ann. del Mus. Civ. di Genova
vol. vil. 1875, p. 776.

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Tur discovery of the present species in the Arfak Mountains of New Guinea makes an important addition
to the great group of Honey-eaters—a group almost peculiar to the Papuan Islands and Australia. The
size of the bird under consideration is about that of Melidectes torquatus ; but it differs in its shorter and
more robust bill and in its much more naked face. The only remark made by Dr. Sclater is as follows :—

“This form of the Meliphagine family is very distinct on account of the denudation of the whoie ocular
region, which is frmged below by a narrow caruncle. D’Albertis’s notes do not give the colour of these
naked parts; but they are probably orange or flesh-colour. The bill is short and rather stout; the nostrils
are short and suboval, and situated in a shallow groove near the central feathers.”

The following description is taken from a specimen in Dr. Meyer’s collection:—Throat and chest
blackish, becoming lighter on the flanks and abdomen, the light marks assuming the form of triangular
spots; under tail-coverts pale buff; under tail-feathers brownish grey, the shafts, as in the other species
of Honey-eaters, being whitish ; bill black; feet bluish black; large naked space round the eye wavy,
orange-yellow; crown of the head and back blackish brown, lighter on the rump; tail-feathers pale
brown, edged with olive; wings, on the upper surface brown, margined as in the tail; under surface of
the wings rich buff, passing into brown on the primaries.

Total length 84 inches, bill 1, wing 4+, tail 5, tarsi 14.

Hab. Atam, apud montes Papuanos Arfak.

The two birds in the accompanying Plate are of the size of life, from specimens in Dr. Meyer’s
collection.