MELLIPHAGA torquata, I 

 White-collared Honey sucker. 



Generic Character. — See PL 43. 



Specific Character. 



M. olivaceo-fiihd, infra albd ; capite aitrihusque nigris ; torque 

 nuchali lunato, albo ; superciliorum cute rubra. 



Fulvous olive, beneath white ; head and ears black ; nape with a 

 white crescent, skin of the eyebrows red. 



Black-crowned Honeysucker. Lewins Birds of N. Holland, pi. 24. 



An elegant, though not a richly coloured bird ; remarkable 

 for the bright red of the skin above the eyes, and the milk- 

 white collar at the back of the head. It is from New Hol- 

 land, and, like others of its tribe, derives its nourishment 

 chiefly from the nectar of flowers; as more particularly men- 

 tioned in my first observations on this genus at pi. 43. 



The figure is of the natural size : excepting the crown and 

 sides of the head (which are deep black), the whole upper 

 plumage is olive yellow : the shoulders, quills, and tail brown ; 

 the two latter margined with olive, but the exterior quills 

 with white : the throat, breast, and collar round the nape pure 

 white ; skin of the eyebrows red. 



The Lunated Creeper of Dr. Shaw (Le Fuscalben of Vieilht, 

 Certh. pi. 61. p. 122.) is, I apprehend, a distinct species. 

 It is described as being cinnamon brozcn above, with a bright 

 red spot o^ feathers behind the eye. In the temperate climate 

 of New Holland, that variation from the usual colouring of 

 particular species, so frequent in tropical birds, is seldom met 

 with; neither can these two birds be sexes of one species, 

 because Lewin, who wrote on the spot, particularly remarks 

 that the female of this is like the male ; he further adds, it is 

 found near Paramatta, and the Hawkesbury river, in thick 

 bushy woods. 



Lewin's figure is so excellent, that I should not again have 

 represented this bird, had not the plate been prepared previ- 

 ous to the publication of his work. The outline figure of the 

 bill will show more clearly the uncommon length of the 

 nostrils, a character which is peculiar to this genus. 



PI. 129. 



