133 



Ptilotis leilavalensis. 



PALLID HONEY-EATER. 

 PHI.U. leilaralensis, North, Rec. Aust. Museun. Vol. III., pt. 5, p. lOG, (17th April. 1899); 



Hartert, Nov. Zool., Vol. XII., p. ioi (190..). 

 Ptilotis peniciUa^a, (nee Gould) Keartl,, Rep. Horn E.ped. Cent.-. Austr., Part II., Zool., p. 109 



ADULT y^^L^-General colour above pale ashy-brown, tinged with yellow, the ru,np and upper 

 tail-co.erts more distincay roa.hed with yellow; upper u.inyco.erts like the bael. ^'^^^^^ 

 margined roith bright oli.e-yellow ; ,uills brow, strongly r.a.hed on the. outer n,e,s ^^^^^ 

 yellow, their apical portion andtips with narrow ,ohitish edges; ta.leathers ^!'^;"; ^^'^^^^f '^^l^ 

 \het:o central feathers and the outer webs of the ren^ainder washed wUh ^/f 7^7"^ j'^^" J;^^^ 

 forehead, sides of the head, cheeks, and ear-co.erts bright yellow, crown of the head -^ -^ ^ 

 ishy-brown washed with yellou.; behind the eo.-co.erts a patch of ^y-wl^e pun.es aUjhe nd^ 

 suLe faint bufy-rvhite slightly tinged with yellow, which ^s more pronounced on the clan, throat, 

 andlre neck: under tai^-co.erts .ery pale yellow; bill black: legs and feet oj sk.n, fleshy-brown. 

 Total length G-G inches, wing 3-25, tail 2-U, bill O-o, tarsus OS. 

 Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. 

 Distribution-GuU District of Queensland, Central Australia, South Australia, North- 



western Australia. 



Al^HE PalHd Honey-eater resembles both PtUotis paucillata ^d PJlavesra. From the 

 r former to which it is closely allied and an undoubted form, it may be ch.efly d.stmgmshed 

 by' its paler upper and under parts and more brightly coloured head. From the la"erm the far 

 les pronouncedly yellow chin and throat and under surface, and the absence o the d.stmc^ 

 blackish line of plmes beneath the ear-coverts. It was described by me m xSSg from a smgle 

 s^ect^en presented to the Trustees of the Australian Museum by Dr. ^^^ MacgdUvray and 

 obtained by his brother Mr. A. S. MacgilHvray, on Leilavale Station, North Q-ens and^ In th 



nginal description I also pointed out it was distinguished from P. paunlMa by the absence 

 the blackish line which separates the silky-white patch of feathers from the ear-coverts. Th s 

 find on the exan.ination of a large series of adult specimens of the latter, :s not quUe correct, 

 a brownish or slightly dusky wash to the tips of the lower ear-coverts is certa.nly found m son.e 

 :.r;ies o^P.p:naL, in others it is absent. The apparent distinctness of these hues depends 

 oo on the make up of the skin and whether it is viewed when held to or away from h hght. 

 Neither Gould or Dr. Gadow make any reference to it in their descriptions of F. pemcdlata. 



On the 6th January, igoi. Dr. W. Macgillivray presented two more adult specimens to 

 the Trustees, and wrote me as follows:-" In your original description of «./.^.. W-Wm. 

 you state, from P. pauallata it may be distinguished 'by the absence of the blackish line which 

 Separates the silky-white patch of feathers from .he ear-coverts.' Does your examination 

 ofThe additional Specimens bear this outP '■ In the more recently presented specimens 

 there are strong indications of darker tips to the lower ear-coverts, especially m one when 

 viewed in certain lights. When closely exammed, however, it will be found to be chiefly due 

 t he decurved tips of the ear-coverts, and is more apparent than real. Thus when placed 

 en^thways on a table with the sun shining partially upon it, and the specimen facing the sun, 

 but\eing in the shade, the dark mark between the ear-coverts and silky-white patch of feathers 

 ppears'most pronounced, but when the specimen is laid across the table and reversed from 

 the tail to the head it is almost entirely absent. In other respects both specimens which were 

 acquirinc. some new quills and tail-feathers when they were procured, are larger than the type. 



