TOWNSEND AND WETMORE : THE BIRDS. 221 



tail, thighs, under wing coverts, lores, antorbital region, orbital ring, 

 lower eyelids and anterior portion of forehead and chin black, the 

 latter connecting with the loral region so that there is a continuous 

 ring of black around the bill; under tail coverts and lower abdomen 

 slightly duller black; rest of plumage including most of head, back, 

 tips to some of scapulars, upper tail coverts, throat, breast, and upper 

 abdomen between scarlet-red and scarlet. 



Measurements. — Males (two specimens) wing 76.0-79.0; tail 

 50.0-52.5; exposed culmen 18.0-18.5; tarsus 22.0. 



Female (one specimen) wing 70.0; tail 45.0, exposed culmen 16.0; 

 tarsus 20.5. 



Range. — Island of Ponape, Eastern Caroline Islands, Polynesia. 



Remarks. — An adult and an immature male, an immature female, 

 and an adult specimen preserved as a mummy were collected on 

 Ponape in the Eastern Carolines, 11, 12 February. This form, 

 though paler than Myzomela r. rvbrata (Lesson) from Kusiae, the 

 type-locality, has the red in its plumage darker than the color found 

 in Myzomela r. saffordi Wetmore (Proc. Biol. soc. Washington, 1917, 

 30, p. 117) from Guam. The immature plumages show nothing 

 remarkable. 



The recognized forms of the red and black honey-eaters with 

 their ranges as known at present are as follows: — 



Myzomela rubrata rubrata (Lesson). Kusaie, Uala (not typical). 

 This form probably occurs elsewhere in the Middle and Eastern 

 Carolines. 



Myzomela rubrata dichromata, Wetmore. Ponape. 



Myzomela rubrata saffordi Wetmore. Guam, Saipan (speci- 

 mens from other islands in the Ladrone Group not seen). 



84. Myzomela nigriventris Peale. 



Myzomela nigriventris Peale, U. S. explor. exped., 1848, 8, p. 150. (Samoan 

 Islands). 



One bird, an adult, from Upolu, Samoan Islands, with date of col- 

 lection not marked was preserved as a mummy. Gadow (Cat. birds 

 Brit, mus., 1884, 9, p. 130) indicates that Myzomela nigriventris is a 

 subspecies of M. cardinalis. The material at hand is not adequate 

 for proper comparison, in default of which M. nigriventris is for the 

 present accorded the rank of a species. 



