PERCHING-BIRDS. 127 



Long-billed Hemignathus {Hemignathus procerus) (2341 )> resemble the 

 Sun-birds, but the bill is not serrated, others have the bill stout and 

 Finch-like, while in one remarkable form, Pseudonestor (2346), it is 

 Parrot-like. The splendid feather-cloaks, waist-bands, and mask- 

 decorations of the former Hawaiian Kings were chiefly composed of 

 the yellow plumage of the " Mamo " {Drepanis pacified) (2347) and the 

 scarlet feathers of the " Jiwi '' ( Vestiaria coccinea) (2342). The former 

 bird, a drawing of which is exhibited in the Case, is now almost 

 extinct. 



Family XXVIII. MELiPHAGiDiE. Honey-suckers. 



The Honey-suckers are one of the most characteristic families of [Case 78.] 

 birds met with in Australia, and range to New Guinea, the Moluccas, 

 and Polynesia. They are chiefly remarkable in possessing an extensile 

 tongue, forked at the tip and broken up into numerous horny fibres, so 

 as to form a brush specially adapted for gathering honey and small 

 insects from the cups of flowers. Two subfamilies are recognised : the 

 MyzomelincB, including the smaller species such as Myzomela (2315-7), 

 with the general appearance of Sun-birds ; and the Meliphaginae. The 

 latter contain all the remaining forms, some being larger birds of the 

 size of a Thrush. In many species parts of the head are bare, and 

 wattles on the sides of the head and throat are often developed. Among 

 the species exhibited we may call attention to the following : — Ptilotis 

 gracilis (2325), the representative of a large and widely distributed 

 genus, characterised by the ornamental yellow ear-tufts. Its neatly 

 woven cup-shaped nest is suspended from a forked branch. The remark- 

 able Tui of New Zealand {Prosthemadera nova zealandia) (2330), com- 

 monly known to the colonists as the " Parson- bird " on account of the 

 peculiar white feathers which adorn its throat and their fancied 

 resemblance to the clerical bands. It is a favourite cage-bird on 

 account of its sweet notes and powers of mimicry. The Large Wattled 

 Honey-eater (^Acanthochtsra carunculata) (2339), a native of Australia, is 

 exhibited with its nest and eggs. The Friar-Bird {Philemon corniculatus) 

 (2329), also from Australia, has a bare head and curious horn at the 

 base of the bill. It will be noted in the skeleton of this species that 

 the horn is supported by a bony core. Lastly, Turati^s Honey-eater 

 {Melidectes emilii) (2321), a curious form with large wattles on the 

 throat, is peculiar to New Guinea. 



Family XXIX. Mniotiltid^. American Warblers. 



These birds are entirely confined to the American region and may be [Case 78.] 



regarded as representing the Sylviid(B of the Old World. Generally 



speaking they resemble the Warblers in their mode of life, but some, 



such as Mniotilta varia (2369), are more like Creepers and run up trees 



