150 



Philemon occidentalism Ramsay, top. cit., p. 676 (1887), imm. 

 male. 



Four adult females, one immature male. Camp about five 

 miles from the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers. 

 Gould separated this species from P. citreogularis on account of 

 its smaller admeasurements and larger bill. Five specimens from 

 Port Essington, where the type of P. sordidus was obt lined by 

 Gilbert, have the bills of the same size as examples of P. 

 citreogularis, procured in New South Wales. They aro, however, 

 much smaller, the wing measurements varying in length from 4-55 

 inches to 4"7. The present examples all have the bills larger than 

 in P. citreogulm'is, and the wing measurement nearly alike, 

 varying only from 4-95 inches to 5-05. They are slightly paler- 

 brown above, and whiter on the under-surface, and have that 

 washed-out appearance often seen in birds procured in very hot 

 districts. The specimens obtained by Mr. E. J. Cairn on the 

 Lennard River are slightly larger, aud the wing measurement 

 varying from 5-25 inches to 5-45. In the list of references given 

 above it will be seen that I have included Dr. Ramsay's P. 

 occidentalis as a synonym of this species. The type of P. 

 occidentalis wa? obtained by the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower 

 near Derby, and it is in precisely the same stage of plumage as 

 the immature male of P. sordidus procured by Mr. Keartland, 

 and from which it cannot be distinguished. Both specimens have 

 all the feathers of the interscapular region edged with ashy- 

 white, the outer webs of the inner primaries margined with 

 greenish-yellow, a conspicuous patch of citron-yellow feathers on 

 the sides of the lower neck, and only a faint tinge of yellow on 

 the silvery-white throat. Immature specimens of P. citreogularis, 

 from Eastern and Southern Australia, differ in having a bright 

 citron-yellow throat, and only a few feathers on the sides of the 

 lower throat tipped with (dtron-yellow. 



Adult specimens of P. sordidus from North- Western Australia 

 can only be distinguished from P. citreoqularis by their bleached 

 appearance and larger bill. The latter character is subject to 

 much variation, especially in specimens obtained in different 

 localities. In other respects the two birds are similar. 



A nest of this species from which the female was procured was 

 built in the drooping leafy twigs of a Eucalyptus growing near 

 the Fitzroy River. It is cup-shaped in form, and is outwardly 

 constructed of dried grass-stems and long strips of very fine bark- 

 fibre, held together with the indumentum of some composite 

 plant, the inside being lined entirely with dried grasses. Exterior 

 measurements, 3| inches in diameter, by 5| inchf>s in depth ;. 

 interval diameter, 2^ inches, by 3| inches in depth. An egg 

 belonging to this nest is of a very pale-purplish-red ground colour, 



