TASMANIA 173 



The Yellow-tipped Diamond Bird (P. affinis) is 

 found as indicated in b. A diamond bird with a 

 yellow speculum is also found in West Australia, 

 confusing the distribution of the species. To the 

 present writer it is a race rather than a species. 



The genus has one peculiarity which we trace in 

 the species P. ornatus. It is trimorphic, having a 

 variable wing spot. In one bird it is red; in 

 another, yellow; in a third, orange; all being 

 broadly distributed. 



HONEY-EATERS (Meliphagidae; meli, honey; 

 phagein, to eat) 



(Plate 2, Figs. 36, 74; Plate 3, Figs. 78, 79) 



The honey-eaters make a family, the leading 

 character being the bifid or brush like tongue. This 

 gives them greater facility in gathering sweet 

 juices from the flower glands. 



The family is divided into twenty-four parts 

 (genera) of which areas a, c, together in map 74 

 have nine parts. The interesting point is that each 

 of these parts, with one exception, has only one 

 species. 



The distribution in this map bears a strong 

 resemblance to that of map 73. From what we 

 know of the expansion of bird areas, it would seem 

 that the W.A. birds arose from those in Victoria 

 (Bassian sub-region). These had their origin in 



