MELLIPHAGA auricomis, 

 YcUow-tufted Honey sucher. 



Generic Charactek. 



■{MellipJiaga, Lewin.) 



llostrum mediocre, cayite plerumque longius, grac'de, curvatum, acuminatum, ut- 

 temuitum, ad basin ultius quam latins, luteribus compressis ; culmine cari- 

 nato. Mandibulu superior ad apicem emarginata ; inferior lateribns com- 

 pressis. Nares concave ad medium rostri porrectee, membruna tecta, in- 

 ter rictumet apicem longojissuapericntes. Lingua longa,extensibilis, fibris 

 curt'daginosis termiyiata. Pedes simplices, digito cxteriore connexo, hullvce 

 pervaiido. 



Obs. Cauda rectricibus 12, remigibus 1 ct 2 spuriis; rostri jnargine alupiavdo 

 subtiUssime dentato. 



Typus Genericus Certhia Nova HoUandia: Lath. 



Bill moderate, generally somewhat longer than the heatl, slender, curved, 

 pointed and acuminated, the base higher than broad, the sides com- 

 pressed, the top carinated ; upper mandible notched at the tip, the 

 under manchble laterally compressed. Nostrils concave, near half the 

 iength of the bill, covered by a membrane, opening by a long slit 

 midway between the gape and tip. Tongue long, extensible, termi- 

 nated by cartilaginous fibres. Feet simple; outer fore-toe connected ; 

 hind-toe very strong. 



Obs. Tail-feathers twelve, first and second quills spurious; margin of the 

 bill sometimes minutely toothed. 



Generic Type New Holland Creeper Lath., &c. 



Sp"ecific Character. 



M. olivaceo fusca ; vertice corporeque suhtus jlavescentibus ; temporibus an/ i- 

 busque nigris ; guld et pennis elongatis pone aures Jiavis. 



Olive-brown : crown of the head and body beneath yellowish ; temples and 

 ear-feathers black; throat and lengthened leathers behind the cars 

 yellow. 



Muscicapa auricomis. INI. olivacca, vcrtice corpore subtus maculaque ■An- 

 num flavis, per oculos striga alba. Lath.lnd. Orn.vol. '>.Snppl. \li,\. I. 

 Cen.Zool. 10. '>./). 354. 



Yellow-tufted Flycatcher. Lath. Suppl. 2. 215. no. 4. Gen. Zool. 10. 2. {]54. ' 



The Yellow-tufted Honeysucker, although described by i,M- 

 tham, has hitherto remained unfigured; and I therefore t^clect 

 it as an excellent example of a tribe of birds which 1 think are 

 j^eculiarto Australasia, and which seem to hold the same situ- 

 ation among the birds of that vast country as the Humming-birds 

 occupy in South America, and the Sun-birds {Chnn/ris, Cuvicr) 

 in Africa and India : all of wliich more or les^^ derive thcii su^tc- 



