312 Mr. Vicors’s and Dr. HorsriezD’s Description of the 
flavo-marginatis, rectricibus basi externé flavis, pem interné 
albo-maculatis. 
Certhia Nove Hollandiæ. Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 296. no. 49. 
New Holland Creeper. Whites Journ. pl. in p. 186. 3. 297. e. 
Lath. Gen. Hist. iv. p. 171. no. 17. 
Heorotaire tacheté. Vieill. Ois. dor. ii. p. 91. pl. 57. 
Mr. Caley thus observes on this species.—** This bird is most 
frequently met with in the trees growing in scrubs, where the 
ditferent species of Banksia are found, the flowers of which I 
have reason to think afford it a sustenance during winter. In 
the summer I have shot it when sucking the flowers of Leptosper- 
mum flavescens. In the scrubs about Paramatta it is very com- 
mon." 
M. Vieillot's Heorotaire noir (pl. 71.), which seems accurately 
Authors, is the only assemblage of these birds of which we can speak with any satis- 
faction to ourselves. "The species accord in their general characters; and in their 
habits and the structure of their tongue they are represented as agreeing most perfectly. 
They exhibit five prominent modifications of form, according to the variation chiefly of 
the characters of the bill and tail. At present we wish to consider these types of form 
as sections only of the group, which we name provisionally the genus Meliphaga. 
When the species become more known, the present sections may justly be considered 
genera, and the higher group may be denominated the subfamily Meliphagina. W hen 
this subdivision takes place, the section which stands first in our text may be considered 
the true Meliphaga. The Mel. Nove Hollandie will form the type. It may thus be 
characterized. ; 
Genus. MELIPHAGA. Lewin et Auct. 
Rostrum subgracile, subelongatum; culmine arcuato, ad basin subcultrato; naribus 
longitudinalibus, linearibus, perangustis, membraná suprà tectis, rostri medium 
longitudine superantibus. 
Lingua ad apicem setis plurimis instructa. 
Ale mediocres, subrotundate ; remige prim4 brevi, secundà tertià et quartà que est 
longissima gradatim longioribus; tertià et quintà, secundà et sextà æqualibus : 
tertie ad septimam inclusam pogoniis externis in medio latioribus. 
Cauda subelongata, rotundata. 
Pedes subfortes; halluce subelongato, forti; acrotarsiis scutellatis, ; 
Xo 
