86 ON THE GENUS MYZOMELA. 



Dr. Meyer first discovered this beautiful species of Myzomela, during 

 his travels in and about New Guinea in 1873. He obtained only two 

 specimens, both males, at Kordo, the chief settlement in the island of 

 Mysore in Geelvink Bay. Beccari obtained others in the same island, to 

 which it is apparently confined ; and from one of his specimens, a fine 

 male, kindly lent me by Count Salvador!, the figure is taken. 



This species resembles M. simplex and M. rubrotincta of the Moluccas, 

 but differs from both in the red margins to the feathers being continued 

 over a larger part of the bird. 



18. MYZOMELA. CRTJENTATA. 



Myzomela cruentata, Meyer, Sitzungsber. Ak. Wien, Ixx. i. p. 202 

 (1874) ; Gould, B. New G-uin. pi. pt. v. 



Myzomela coccinea, Eamsay, Proc. L. S. N. S. W. ii. p. 106 (1877) ? 

 (Ex insulis Ducis Eboraci.) 



Myzomela erythrina, Eamsay, Proc. L. S. N. S. W. ii. p. 107 (1877) ? 

 (Ex Nova Hibernia.) 



c? corpore omnino chermesino, uropygio splendidiore, plumis ad basin 



nigris ; alis rubricantibus, plumis externe rubris ; remigibus fuscis, 



primis duobus exceptis, rubro limbatis ; rectricibus rubido-griseis, ex- 



P. Z. S. 1879, terne rubro marginatis ; alis caudaque subtus griseis ; rostro pedibusque 



P- 27 - nigris. Long. tot. circa 4, al. 2'2, caud. 1-5, rostr. -55, tars. *5 (poll. 



Angl.). 



Sab. in montibus Arfak NOVSB Guinea. 



This very beautiful Myzomela, at once distinguished from all others of 

 this group yet described by its uniformly red colour, was first obtained 

 by Dr. Meyer, in the Arfak Mountains, in 1873. Only one specimen, an 

 adult male, was procured; and this and another specimen, likewise a 

 male and nearly or quite adult, procured by Bruijn's collectors in the 

 same locality, and now in the Genoa Museum, are, I believe, the only 

 examples yet brought to Europe of this splendid little bird. 



A short time ago Mr. E. P. Eamsay, of the Sydney Museum, described 

 two new species of Myzomela, both remarkable for their nearly uniform 

 red coloration. One is indicated as a female and from the Duke-of-York 

 Islands (M. coccinea) ; the other, a young male (M. erythrina), is from. 

 New Ireland. Of it Mr. Eamsay says : "This species is smaller than 

 the preceding, and the bill is comparatively stronger and stouter ; other- 

 wise I should be inclined to consider it the young of the former." From 

 his description it is evidently a young bird ; and after having carefully 

 compared both it and that of the other species with Dr. Meyer's and 

 Count Salvadori's specimens, I have come to the conclusion that both M. 

 coccinea and erythrina are probably referable to M. cruentata. If this is 

 so, it would seem, provided Eainsay's specimens are correctly sexed, that 

 the adults of this species are nearly or quite similar in coloration. The 



