268 MR. W. A. FORBES ON THE GENUS MYZOMELA. [Mar. 4, 



has lent me specimens from Salwatti, and says that in the Leyden 

 Museum there is one said to be from Ceratn (Moens), but that this 

 locality, as well as Gilolo (Forsten), are in all probability errors. 



14. Myzomela obscura. 



Myzomela obscura, Gould, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 136 ; id. B. A. iv. pi. 

 67 ; id. Handb. i. p. 559. 



Ptilotisfuinata, "Miill. Mus. Lugd., ex Nova Guinea," Bp. Consp. 

 i. p. 392 (1850). 



Omnino griseo-hrunnea, suhtus pallidior, capite vinaceo tincto ; 

 remigibus externe subtilissimc griseo limbatis ; alls caudaque sub- 

 tus griseis, remigum margine interna albida ; rostro pedibusque 

 nigro-corneis. Long. al. 2 7, caud. 2'2, rostr. '6, tars. '6 (poll. 

 Angl.). 

 Hab. in Australia septentrionali et Nova Guinea. 

 This plainly-coloured Honey-eater was first described by Mr. Gould 

 from specimens obtained at Port Essington by Gilbert. It seems to 

 have rather a wide range over the northern parts of Australia, oc- 

 curring at Port Darwin (Masters), Cape York (' Challenger'), and in 

 the north of Queensland "as far south as the ^Mary river" (Ram- 

 sag). D'Alhertis found it at Naiabui and on the Fly River; and 

 there are specimens from the river Utanatain the Leyden Museum — 

 the originals of Bonaparte's " Ptilotis fumatu" (cf. Salvadori, Ann. 

 Mus. Civ. Gen. xii. p. 334, 1878). 



The sexes are similar. I have not seen young birds. 

 The iris has been variously recorded as " red " (Gould), " brown" 

 (Murray), and "black" (U Albertis). 



15. Myzomela SIMPLEX. 



Myzomela simplex, G. R. Gray, P.Z.S. 1860, p. 349. 



Sordide griseo-brunnea, subtus dihtior ; remigibus et rectricibus 

 rubido limbatis ; margine interna remigum albida ; rostro pedi- 

 busque corneis, his pallidioribus. Long. tot. 52, al. 23. caud. 

 2, rostr. •5, tarsi '6 (j)oll. Angl.). 



Hab. in Halmahera et insulis adjacentibus. 



This plainly-coloured Myzomela was first discovered by Wallace in 

 the island of Batchian, and it also occurs in most of the other 

 islands of the Halmahera group of the Moluccas, but is replaced on 

 Obi by the nearly allied Myzomela rubrotincta. Count Salvadori 

 informs me that he has seen " many specimens in the Leyden Museum 

 from Gilolo (Bernstein), Tidore (Bernstein, Von Rosenberg), and 

 Dammar (Bernstein). A specimen from Ternate (Bruijn) is in 

 Turati's collection. A single specimen from Morty in the Museum 

 of Leyden is much darker than the others." 



This species is allied to M. rubrobrunnea and M. rubrotincta, but 

 differs from them in the less extent of the red colour, which is con- 

 fined to the margins of the quills and tail-feathers. The sexes are 

 probably similar in colour ; I have not seen the young bird. 



