BIRDS OF SAMOA 20 
IAO. 
Honey—FEater. 
(Ptilotis carunculata) 
(Family Meliphagidae.) 
Distinguished from other fami- 
lies by their long extensile tongue, 
adapted for extracting the honey 
from flowers upon which they parti- 
ally exist. 
The beak is long and slender, 
with upper mandible curved. The 
group is confined to Australasia and 
the islands of the South Pacific. The 
head is brown with a yellow patch 
below the eye. The under-parts a 
dull yellow, blending into a darker 
shade on the back. The wings and 
tail dark brown edged with yellow. 
The Iao feeds upon ripe berries, flies 
and other insects, and the honey of 
certain wild blossoms. 
