M Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on Birds 



Myzomela obsciira fumata Roths. & Hartert, N. Z. x. 

 p. 224 (1903). 



Myzomela ohscura apsleyi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec. i. 

 p. 48 (1912) [Melville Island]. 



a-m. S ? . Mouth of the Mimika River, 14th Nov. 1910- 

 23rd March, 1911. [Nos. 11 , 14, 23, 63, 65, 166, 1170, 1173, 

 1211, 1234, 1259, 1260, C. H. B. GJ] 



Iris russet ; bill sooty-black ; feet dark ash-colour. 



Birds inhabiting North Australia (viz. Northern Territory, 

 Port Essington, Port Darwin, and Melville Island) resemble 

 those from the Aru Islands and Southern Dutch New Guinea 

 in having the underparts greyish-brown, not snuflT-brown or 

 dull rufous-brown as in the birds from Queensland and New 

 South Wales. The North Australian form is typical M. oh- 

 scura Gould, originally described from Port Essington, wliile 

 the QueensUmd birds have been separated as M. o. liarterti 

 Mathews. That author has also separated the Melville Island 

 birds, and states that they differ from M. ohscura in their 

 darker coloration ; but our specimens from Melville Island 

 differ in no way from those from Port Essington, the type- 

 locality of M. ohscura. 



Dr. Gadow (Cat. ix. p. 129), in his 'Key to the Species^ 

 of Myzomela, says that the crown of M. ohscura is only 

 slightly tinged with red; but it should be noted that in 

 exceptional cases only is the forehead tinged with dull 

 crimson. 



The wing measurements in M. ohscura and M. o. liarterti 

 seem to be much the same. In the present series the 

 measurements are : — 6 males, wing 69-76 mm. ; 6 females, 

 wing 62-66 mm. 



The specimen with the wing 76 mm. is an exceptionally 

 large bird, the average wing-measurement in the male 

 being about 71 mm. 



" The Dusky Honey-eater was only met with in the man- 

 grove-swamps along the coast, where it was uncon^mon and 

 was usually observed in pairs.'^ — C. IL B. Gj. 



