190 



MELIPHAGIDiB. 



Young birds resemble the adults, but have the forehead, crown of the head and hind neck 

 brown tinged with greenish-olive; lores, cheeks and ear-coverts blackish, all the under surface 

 dull white, the throat and fore neck washed with pale yellow, being slightly richer on the sides 

 of the throat, some of the feathers on the centre of the throat and at the sides of the chest 

 blackish. Wing 2'8 inches. The same variation is seen in the young of M. melaiwceplialus, as 

 in the continental species M. atricapillus. An immature male of the former in the Australian 

 Museum collection is similar to the young bird described above, but has the forehead and a 

 broad stripe extending on to the crown of the head black. Wing 3 inches. 



From the preceding notes it will be seen that tlie usual breeding season of this species 

 commences in September and continues until the middle of January. 



Melithreptus brevirostris. 



SHORT-BILLED HONEY-EATER. 

 J/eli/hreptus brevirostris, Vig, and Horsf., Trans. Linn. i50c.,Vol. XV., p. 315 (1826); Gould, Handbk. 

 Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 569 (1865); Gadow, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus , Vol. IX., p. 207 (1884); 

 North, Rec. Austr. Mus., Vol. V., p. .337 (1904). 



Adult male — General colour above greenish-olive, duller on the hind neck and iipper back, brighter 

 on the mmp and upper tail-coverts; upper wing-coverts brown ivith greyish-brown margins; quills brown 

 externally margined tvith greyish-white ; tail feathers brown margined externally with olive, except 

 on the outermost feather on either side; forehead dark hrown, crown of the head and nape dark broken 

 icitii dull greyish-brown margins to all the feathers, the darker centres decreasing in size toivards the 

 nape ichere they are almost cbsohte : feathers abov the anterior portion of eye and the tarcoverts dark 

 brozvn, the latter separated from the sides of the nape by a line of dull whitish feathers, ivhich is 

 continued in a dull brownish-white band around the occiput; cheeks wliitisli passing into a brownish- 

 tvhite on the centre of the chin, throat and the remainder of the under surface, the centre of the breast 

 and abdoinen faint creamy-broirii : under tail-coverts pale broivn with dull icliili^li margins : bill 

 black; legs and feet reddish-brown, the sides and soles of the feet ochreous-yellon-; iris hazel; bare 

 space above and behind the eye greenish-blue in n^inter, dull yellow in summer. Total length I'jt the 

 fiesh ''r7 inches, wing 2'8, tail '2'S5, bill O-J^o, tarsus O'GS. 



Adult female — Similar in jiUdnnije In thf lualf. 



Distribution — Queensland. New South Wales, \'ictoria, South Australia, W'estern Australia. 



^^HIi type of Mdithreptns brevirostris was described by \'igors and Horsfield in the 

 "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London"- from specimens obtained by 

 Mr. Caley in the neighbourhood of Sydney, probably Parramatta, where he lived. It is widely 

 distributed, from Queensland south to \'ictoria, and thence west to Western Australia, and is 

 subject to considerable variation in size and depth of colour, especially of the under parts. There 

 are examples in the Australian Museum collection procured by Mr. George Masters on the Blue 

 Mountains in 1864; others obtained by Dr. Ramsay, at Cardington, on the ist February, 1866, 

 and numerous specimens obtained by the Curator, (Mr. R. Etheridge), the Taxidermist (Mr. J. A. 

 Thorpe) and myself at Sutherland, Toongabbie and Roseville, New South Wales; a specimen 

 obtained on the 20th July, 1863, at Port Denison, Queensland, and another procured at the 

 Flinders Range, South Australia. The Trustees of the South .Vustralian Museum, .-\delaide, 

 and Mr. Edwin Ashby have kindly lent specimens from different parts of South Australia. 



Specimens obtained in the nei.ghbourhood of Sydney are slightly larger and darker on the 

 under parts than are others obtained on the Blue Mountains, which is contrary to the general 



* Trans. Linn. Sec. Lend., Vol. XV., p. 315 (1826). 



