208 ASHP.Y, Whltc-plnmcd Honey-cater. ["^isffa^ 



The White-Plumed Honey-eater {Meliphaga 

 penicillatd) , Gould, and its various sub-species 



By EDWIX ASIIIiV, F.L.S., M.B.O.U., "Wittunga," 

 Blackwood, South Australia. 



Since describing a new sub-species of Meliphaga penicillata 

 under the name of Ptilotis geraldtoiiensis, Ashby, in The Emu, 

 vol. XX., p 190, my skins have twice been to Melbourne for com- 

 parison, and a considerable correspondence has passed between 

 Mr. A. J. Cam])bell and others and myself in reference to its true 

 place in the Natural Taxis. 



On the occasion of a recent hurried visit to Melbourne I had 

 the opi)ortunity (with the facilities granted by Mr. J. A. Ker- 

 shaw) of comparing the very fine series of P. penicillata and its 

 congeners in the "H. h. White Collection" in the National 

 Museum with the series in my own. The following is a resume 

 of this examination. 



Two very interesting results stand out; Gcraldtoncnsis, which 

 was taken by myself in the creek-beds both at Geraldton and at 

 Dongara, in W.A., is the same bird that is common at Moora, 

 150 miles further south. Gcraldtoncnsis is not M. carter! . Camp- 

 bell, neither is it identical with M. ladasi, Mat., the possibility 

 of this being so was suggested in a footnote in the said paper. 



I am inclined to agree with Mr. Gregory M. Matthews in 

 considering the whole series as one species, but I think it might 

 be wise to recognise two divisions; one I should describe as the 

 FOI'LEST DIVISION and the other as the DESERT DIVI- 

 SION. In each of these divisions connecting links still exist, 

 and it is very probable that intermediates between the Forest 

 .series and the Desert series also exist, but in the series examined 

 it is easy to assign all the forms to their respective division. 



FOREST DIVISION. 



All the birds in this series are coloured in varying degrees 

 with yellowish-green. 



(1) From the "H. L. White Collection" a number of skins 

 taken in Victoria were examined, and these were identical with 

 skins in my own collection from the Adelaide Hills; they are 

 the darkest of the series, the face and other coloured portions 

 are greeni.sh-yellow. 



(2) A specimen in my collection from Torr Downs on tlie 

 River Darling and another collected by myself near Broken 

 Hill correspond with the birds in the "H. E. White Collection" 

 from New South Wales, and are generally paler in tone than 

 not ; but the yellowish-green coloration is similar to skins from 

 Victoria and South Australia. 



