82 



ON THE GENUS MYZOMELA. 



from the absence of red feathers on any other part, and from the singu- 

 larly bright and shining colour of those on the throat, I have little doubt 

 that it has very nearly or quite attained its full plumage. Myzomela 

 sclateri hardly admits of being compared with any other species of the 

 group, the entirely dark upperside and the red being confined to the 

 throat, rendering it quite unlike any species yet known to us. 



P.Z.S. 1879, 

 p. 266. 



1858, p. 173; Salvador!, 

 Sitzungsber. Wien. 



11. MYZOMELA NIGEITA. 



Myzomela nigrita, G. E. Gray, P. Z. S. 

 RZ.S. 1878, p. 97. 



Myzomela erythrocephala, Meyer (nee Gould), 

 Akad. Ixx. p. 204 (1874). 



Myzomela meyeri, Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. vii. p. 947 (1875). 



cJ nitenti-niger, subalaribus et remigum margine interna albis ; rostro 

 nigro, pedibus cornels. 



$ griseo-brunnea, subtus dilutior ; f rente gulaque rubro lavatis ; remi- 

 gibus eocterne olivaceis. 



Hob. in Nova Guinea occidentali et insulis vicinis. 



This Myzomela, conspicuous for the almost entirely black plumage of 

 the adult male, was first described by the late Mr. Gray from specimens 

 collected in the Aru Islands by Wallace, where it was obtained again 

 during the recent voyage of the ' Challenger/ It also occurs on the 

 mainland of the north-western peninsula of New Guinea, at Dorey 

 (Wallace) and Eubi (Meyer"), and in the islands of Jobi and Miosnom 

 (Meyer and Beccari), the birds from the mainland and these islands being 

 considerably bigger than those from Aru. This is particularly the case 

 with those from Jobi and Miosnom, so that Count Salvador! is inclined 

 to separate them as a new species. But, as the following table will show, 

 considerable differences in the measurements of this species occur in 

 various localities ; so that at present I consider it better to retain all 

 forms under one name. 



1. 



2. 



3. 



4. 



5. 



6. 



7. 



8. 



9. 

 10. 

 11. 

 12. 



Wing. 



Aru? 2-2 



"Wokan 2-4 



Aru 2-35 



Eubi 2-5 



Dorey 2-4 



Miosnom 2*7 



Jobi 2-5 



jr. Miosnom 2*6 



jr. Eubi 2-3 



cj jr. Eubi 2-3 



$ . Eubi 2-1 



$. Aru? 2-1 



