312 Mr. ViGORs's and Dr. Horstield's Descript'on of the 



flavo-marginatis, rectricihus bad externe Jlavis, opice interne 



albo-maculatis. 

 Certhia Novae Hollandiœ. Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 296. no. 49- 

 New Holland Creeper. ÎJ'h/te's Journ. pi. in p. 186. S . 297- ? • 



Lat/i. Gen. Hist. iv. p. 171. no. 17- 

 Heorotaire tacheté. Vieill. Ois. dor. ii. p. 91- pi. 57. 



Mr. Caley thus observes on this species. — " This bird is most 

 frequently met with in the trees growing in scrubs, where the 

 diti'erent species of Banksia are found, the tlowers of which I 

 have reason to think afl'ord it a sustenance during winter. In 

 the summer I have shot it when sucking the flowers of Leptospcr- 

 mum jiavescens. In the scrubs about Paramatta it is very com- 

 mon." 



M. Vieillot's Heorotaire noir (/;/. 71.), which seems accurately 



AiUhors, is the oui}- assemblage of these birds of which we can speak with any satis- 

 faction to ourselves. The species accord in their general characters; and in their 

 habits and the structure of their tongue they are represented as agreeing most perfectly. 

 They exhibit five prominent modifications of form, according to the variation chiefly of 

 the characters of the bill and tail. At present we wish to consider these types of form 

 as sections only of the group, which we name provisionally the genus Meliphaga. 

 ^Vhen the species become more known, the present sections may justly be considered 

 uenera, and the higher group may be denominated the subfamily Melip/iagiiia. ^^'hen 

 this subdivision takes place, the section which stands first in our text may be considered 

 the true Meliphaga. Tiie I\lel. Novte Hollaudiœ will form the type. It may thus be 



characterized. 



Genus. Meliphaga. Leuhi et Juct. 



Rostrum subgracile, subelongatum; ciilmiiie arcuato, ad basin subcultrato: nariluis 

 longitudinalibus, linearibus, perangustis, membranû supra tectis, rostri medium 

 longitudine superantibus. 



Lingua ad apicem setis plurimis instructa. 



Ala médiocres, subrotundatœ ; rémige prima brevi, secundà tertiâ et quartâ quas est 

 longissima gradatim longioribus; tertià et quintâ, secundâ et sextà îequalibus : 

 tertiae ad septimam inclusam pogoniis esternis in medio latioribus. 



Cauda subelongata, rotundata. 



Pedes subfortes; halluce subelongato, forti ; acrotarsiis scutellatis. 



to 



