I'^S Royal Australasian Oyiiitliolo^ists' Ufjion. \_,-I''"un 



best songster amongst the Honey-eaters, and should greatly like to 

 have the charm of its notes resounding in our South Australian bush. 

 The fact of this bird having spread from the tropics down the west 

 coast to the I.eeuwin and having failed to extend down the east coast 

 of Australia gives scope for research. 



Ptilotis sonora. Singing Honey-eater. — rommon at places visited. 



Ptilotis geraldtonensis. New species Honey-eater. — It was exceed- 

 ingly interesting to find this bird at Geraldton and Dongara, where it 

 takes the place of P. penicillata (the White-plumed Honey-eater; in 

 South Australia, with similar notes and habits. We expected P. carteri, 

 but our specimens differ considerably from specimens in my collection 

 of that bird, and, although considerably larger and darker in colour 

 than specimens of P. flavescens from Derby, the specimens collected 

 are certainly nearer that species than to my representatives of P. 

 flava. P. carleyi. or P. keartlandi. I give the name geraldtonensis, that 

 being the first locality in which I found it, although I afterwards 

 found it even more numerous at Dongara. It prefers creek beds. 



Meliornis mystacalis. Moustached Honey-cater. — Seen near the 



Watheroo Observatory, its white cheek-mark being most conspicuous. 



Myzantha obscura. Dusky Miner. — Numerous at Moora, but not 

 seen elsewhere. An examination of the skins obtained shows decided 

 differences from a skin I collected near Perth in iqoi. The Perth 

 specimen has a strikingly large beak and is generally much darker ; 

 the Moora specimens have a light rump, almost as light as in the 

 Yellow-throated Miner (M. flavigula). Possibly the difference may 

 be due to sex ; anyhow, the Moora specimens are nearer to M. 

 ftavignla than to ihe Perth one. 



Anthochaera carunculata. Red Wattle-Bird. — Common at Clare- 

 mont. 



Anellobia lunulata. Little Wattle-Bird. — Common at Claremont. 



Chlamydera maculata. Spotted Bower-Bird. — INIr. Gardner, of 

 Geraldton, described the mauve-coloured crown of the head — or. 

 rather, nape — and it seems certain that no other bird but a Bower- 

 Bird could fit the description. He had, I understood, only seen it 

 once, close to Geraldton, in the thick sand-hill scrub. Probably it 

 was attracted by the berries on a low scrub, and which were, at the 

 time of our visit, being greedilv fed upon by the Green-backed White- 

 eve (Zosterops gouldi . 



Corvus coronoides. .\ustralian Raven. — Common at Watheroo, 

 but \var\-. 



Cracticus nigrogularis. Black-throated Butcher-Bird. — Noted at 

 Watheroo and Moora. Its flute or flageolet-like notes surjxiss those 

 of an\' of its congeners it has lieen my privilege to hear. 



Cracticus leucopterus. White-winged Butcher-Bird. — Noted in 

 same localities as the preceding. 



Gymnorhina dorsalis. Varied Magpie. — Common at Claremont and 

 Watheroo, but wary. I secured a female which is remarkablv like 

 the Black-backed species, except that the white neck collar is much 

 less pronounced, and there are some white flecks in the middle of the 

 black saddle. It seems a fully adult bird, in mature plumage. The 

 male birds appeared to be similar to our White-backed species. 



