72 ON THE GENUS MYZOMELA. 



been included amongst the Nectariniidse till within the last few years by 

 most writers. 



On similar grounds of divergent coloration, Bonaparte separated 

 M. pectoralis * under the name Cissomela (C. R. xxxviii. p. 264, 1854) ; 

 but as no generic characters whatever are given, this name falls to the 

 ground, even if any structural differences in the bird exist, which as yet 

 I have been unable to discover. 



Myzomela is characterized by its Meliphagine tongue, rather short, 

 narrow, and slender curved bill, which is depressed and broadened at the 

 base, rounded and compressed anteriorly, and there finely serrulated on 

 its cutting-margins. The nostrils are linear and curved, extending for 

 almost one third of the length of the bill, and covered in by a con- 

 spicuous opercular membrane. The wings are moderately long, the 

 P. Z. S. 1879, " first " t primary short, the 3rd to 5th longest and subequal, the 6th 

 p. 257. longer than the 7th, which about equals the 2nd. The tarsi are about as 

 long as the bill, rather slender, and covered with 6-7 scales in front, the 

 lower ones being the smallest and transverse. The 2nd and 4th toes are 

 yery slender, about equal in length, and shorter than the 3rd. The 

 hallux is unusually stout for the size of the bird. The tail has 12 

 feathers, is short, and nearly square. 



Most of the species have more or less red in their plumage ; but this 

 colour is altogether absent in some, and becomes only a slight tint, con- 

 fined to the margins of the feathers, particularly of the head, wings, and 

 tail, in others. As yet our knowledge of the phases and changes of 

 plumage is by no means perfect. In one group (e. g. in M. sanguinolenta 

 and its allies, including M. nigrita) the females seem to retain throughout 

 life the brown plumage of immaturity ; whilst in others (e. g. M. nigri- 

 ventrw, obscura, &c.) the adults of each sex are similar. In most cases 

 the first plumage seems to be nearly uniform brown, lighter beneath, 

 with the wing-coverts lighter at the edges, and the quills margined 

 externally with olive-yellow. Throughout the group there is seen a great 



* Although Bonaparte expressly states " Myzomela nigra, Gould, est pour moi le 

 type du nouveau genre Cissomela," yet it is evident from his description, " Subtus cum 

 uropygio alba, torque pectorali nigro," that M. pectoralis was intended ! 



t I hare here adopted the system of notation for the remiges generally in use 

 amongst ornithologists. But would it not be better, as is usually done in other cases 

 of serially-repeated homologous organs, to begin counting from the proximal rather 

 than from the distal end of the series ? At present, if a bird, for instance a Passerine, 

 be said to have a " long first primary," two things may be meant : either that the bird 

 has only nine primaries, the true " first " (or tenth) being absent, and the (morpho- 

 logically) "second" (or ninth) being of the ordinary length (as, e.g., a Finch, or 

 Drepanis) ; or that there are ten primaries, with the "first" (tenth) fully developed, as 

 is the case in the " Formicarioid " Passeres of Wallace. This ambiguity would be 

 avoided by counting the feathers from the end nearest the humerus ; for any Passerine 

 with a long " tenth " primary could then only be a " Formicarioid." 



