collected in Dutch New Guinea. 53 



Gliciphila modesta. 



Glycipldla modesta Gray ; Salvad. 0. P. ii. p. 307 (1881) ; 

 Ga iow, Cat. ix. p. 215 (1884). 



Gliciphila modesta Roths. & Hartert, N. Z. x. p. 435 

 (1903) ; van Oort, p. 95 (1909). 



Gliciphila modesta subfasciata Ramsay and G. m. ramsayi 

 Mathews, N. Z. xviii. p. 400 (1912). 



a-e. S ? . Mouth of the Mimika River, 8th & 10th Dec. 

 1910 and 21st & 22nd March, 1911. [Nos. 59, 61, 101, 

 1219, 1231, C. H. B. G.'] 



Iris hazel ; bill light brown ; feet flesh-colour or horn- 

 colour. 



The Dusky Honey-eater has the same distribution as 

 Ptilotis gracilis, and ranges from Cape York to Southern 

 New Guinea and from there to the Aru Islands, whence it 

 was first described by G. R. Gray from a female specimen 

 procured by Wallace. 



Males are somewhat larger than females : the wing- 

 measurements in four males varying from 66"5-68 mm., 

 while one female measures 64 mm. 



In addition to the difference in size due to sex, younger 

 birds have the barring on the chest less pronounced. The 

 brown colour of the upperparts is, as one would expect, 

 darker in freshly moulted birds : thus, Nos. 59, 61, and 101, 

 in worn plumage, killed in December, are conspicuously 

 paler than Nos, 1219 and 1231, killed in March, in which 

 most of the feathers of the back are freshly moulted. 



G. m. ramsayi Mathews, from Cairns, N. Queensland, is 

 said to be much larger (wing 71 mm.), darker above, and 

 with the pectoral marking more pronounced. It seems to 

 be merely a rather large adult male, in freshly moulted 

 plumage. 



" This little bird was only seen in the mangrove-swamps 

 along the coast, and had much the same habits and appear- 

 ance as a Warbler. A nest, which was suspended from a 

 casuarina-tree some 8 ft. from the ground, is globular in 

 shape, with the entrance on one side near the top. It is 



