135 



A specimen recei\ed in the flesli shot by Dr. A. Chenery on the nth June, 1903, on the 

 Flinders Range, twelve miles from Port Augusta, shows a further advance towards the inter- 

 gradation of P. leilavalensis with P. penicillaia. 



Ptilotis ornata. 



GRACEFUL HONEY-EATER. 



Plilotis ornatas, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1838, p. 24; id., Bds. Aust., fol., Vol. IV., pi. 39 (1848). 



Ptilutis ornata, Gould, Handbk., Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. .51.5 (18G5); Gadow, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., 

 Vol. IX., p. 244 (1884). 



Adult male — General colour above olive-brown slightly tinged with grey; the upper tail-coverts 

 washed with olive-yellow ; upper tviiig-coverts olive-brown, the median and greater series washed with 

 olive-yellow ; quills brown, externally margined with briyltt olive-yelloiv : tail feathers brown, the 

 central pair, and the outer webs of the remainder strongly ivashed with olive-yelloiv ; forehead and 

 crown of the head dull olive-yellow; lores and a narrow line of feathers around the eye dusky-bi'own, 

 beloiv which is a short deep yellow streak; ear coverts olive-yellow with a dusky wash at their tips 

 forming a distinct line which is followed by a patch of bright yellow lengthened plumes, the long narrow 

 point terminating towards the back; all the under surface dingy-white, the feathers having a longi- 

 tudinal streak of broivn down the centre, except those on the centre of the lower breast and the abdomen 

 where they are of a purer white; under tail-coverts white with narrow central streaks of brown; imder 

 wing-coverts light fulvous, sotne of the feathers on the edge of the wing yellow; bill black; legs and 

 feet grey; iris dark brown. Total length inches, wing -J-^, tail ,2!l, bill OS, tarsus 0'82. 



Adult female — Simihir in jihunwji- to the mtde. 



Distribution — New South Wales, \'ictoria. South Australia, Western Australia. 



^T^HE Graceful Honey-eater inhabits the southern portion of the Australian continent. It 

 JL is common in many parts of South Australia, North-western \'ictoria. South-western 

 New South Wales, and Western Australia. It is represented in the Australian Museum collection 

 by specimens obtained by ■\Ir. George Masters, at Mongup, Salt River, Western Australia, in 

 1865, others procured by Mr. K. Broadbent, in the neighbourhood of Port Augusta, South 

 Australia, and by an example obtained by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett in Southern New South 

 Wales. This specimen is labelled by Mr. Bennett "Ptilotis ornata, Yandembah Station, gth 

 September, i88g, killed and dropped by Falco lunulatus," and who further remarks in his MS. 

 notes — "Ptdotis ornata is very numerous in the dense mallee scrub some sixty miles to the north- 

 wards, and appears to be entirely independent of water. It breeds during the months of October 

 and November." I have also received from the South Australian Museum specimens for 

 examination obtained by Mr. Edwin Ashby, also by Dr. A. ^I. Morgan at Donald's Plain, who 

 accompanied Dr. A. Chenery on a trip made from Port Augusta to the Gawler Ranges, in 

 August 1902. Dr. Morgan has kindly forwarded a photograph of a nest together with the 

 following note: — "Ptilotis ornata was only seen in large mallee at Donald's Plain. It was very 

 common and two females were obtained. A nest was found on the 14th August at Matera Well 

 in overhanging leaves of mallee, at a height of seven feet from the ground. It was built of 

 grass stems and lined with a little rabbit fur, and contained one fresh egg." 



Some specimens have the apical portion of the outer webs of the outermost primaries and 

 tips of the remainder of the quills with narrow whitish edges. The wing-measurement of adult 

 specimens varies from y2 to 3-45 inches. 



