l6o MlUAGK^, Neiv Melithreptus from Western Australia. fj^fj^n 



Description of a New Melithreptus from Western 

 Australia, 



By a. W. ^Milligan, Perth. 



During an expedition undertaken by nayself, in conjunction 

 with Dr. Morrison, the Government Botanist, and Mr. Conigrave, 

 of the Perth Museum, in the Stirhng Ranges, in the south-east 

 portion of this State, I shot three Honey-eaters in the flowering 

 scrubs at the foot of Mount Mongerup. They appeared at first 

 sight to be the Brown-headed Honey-eater, Melithreptus 

 brevirostris, Vig. and Hors, although I perceived, as I thought, 

 differences from that species. 



On my return to Perth I borrowed from Mr. A. G. Campbell, 

 Melbourne, a skin of J/. (^rt''Z^/r6'j-/;7'jr shot at Myrniong, in Vic- 

 toria, and subsequent comparison with that bird and with the 

 descriptions given by Gould and the British Museum Catalogue 

 proved that my first perceptions were not altogether erroneous. 



For the purposes of comparison it will perhaps be as well to 

 give a specific description of three birds shot, and in which 

 there is not any appreciable difference in any respect except 

 that two were males, one a female. The description is as 

 follows : — 



Crown and sides of head blackish-grey — an occipital band from 

 eye to eye, such band being distinct and white from eye to back 

 of ear-covert, but only faintly perceptible, and impure white for 

 the remainder. Below this band another parallel one, extending 

 from ear-covert to ear-covert — the latter band being distinct and 

 blackish-grey at beginning, but only faintly perceptible for the 

 remainder ; mantle, back, and upper tail coverts olive-yellow, 

 like M. ckloropsis, but with less yellow and not so intense ; 

 wings blackish-brown, edged with white ; tail feathers blackish- 

 brown externally washed with same colour as back ; cheeks and 

 sides of throat pure white, contrasting with blackish sides of 

 head, and with the chin, middle of throat, and chest, which are 

 respectively blackish, shading into ashy-grey ; breast, abdomen, 

 and under tail coverts a shade between cream and impure white, 

 the colour deepening on abdomen and under tail coverts ; 

 axillaries and shoulder edges and remiges white, a little cream 

 colour showing in places ; bare spaces surrounding the eye a 

 light orange colour, excepting lower portion of eyelid below 

 the orange zone, which shows bluish-emerald ; bill dark brown, 

 legs and feet reddish orange. Total length, 5.25 ; wing, 2.7 ; 

 tail, 2.0 ; tarsus, .65 ; culmen, .4. 



The Victorian bird corresponded with the descriptions in the 

 British Museum Catalogue, but not with the western species. 



The specific differences between them, briefly summarized, are 

 — («) the new bird is less robust genel-ally, and the bill in par- 

 ticular is shorter and more slender ; {b) the bare spaces 

 surrounding the eye are orange and bluish-emerald ; [c] the 



