Order Passeriformes, Family Meliphagidae, Genus Myzantha. 59 



mens of the Lesser bush lark (Mirafra javanica secunda) were 

 exhibited, and all were of the dark form. Red- rumped tit 

 (Acanthiza pusilla) was taken from this locality, and Mr. Ashby 

 showed for comparison skins recently collected by him at Cape 

 Jervis — probably the same as the Victorian form — and also 

 Acanthiza pusilla hamiltoni from Karoonda. It was noted 

 that this bird from these three localities represented three 

 distinct forms. 



The birds for the evening's discussion were Cuckoo 

 Shrikes (Mathews' List, Nos. 503 to 509). Specimens were 

 exhibited from the South Australian Museum by Mr. F. It. 

 Zietz, and from the private collections of Messrs. E. Ashby 

 and J. W. Mellor. All the species in Mathews' list were rep- 

 resented, and skins from the different localities compared and 

 discussed. From the material available the members were 

 of the opinion that there was not sufficient variation to war- 

 rant the division of sub-species. 



Order Passeriformes, Family Meliphagidae, 

 Genus Myzantha. 



Myzantha melanocephala whitei — The Noisy Minah. 



Description — Upper Surface. — Forehead and lores, dull 

 white; crown of head, black; ear coverts, dark grey; hind neck 

 and sides of the neck, brown, finely barred with white, the 

 lines becoming fainter and wider apart towards the shouldersj 

 back, brown, each feather having a darker subterminal spot, 

 giving the back a mottled appearance; lower back, faintly 

 tinged with green; upper tail coverts, light brown. 



Under Surface — Throat, dull white, with a sfreak of dull 

 black down the centre; breast, grey, each feather having a 

 subterminal band of brown, giving the breast a scaly 

 appearance; abdomen and under tail coverts, dull white. 



Wing — Primaries, dull black, distal portions of the outer 

 webs and tips white, the proximal portions of the outer webs 

 of the last three faintly tinged with green, basal portions of 

 the inner webs broadly margined with white; secondaries, dull 

 black, the outer webs broadly margined with yellowish green. 



Tail — Two central feathers dark grey, tipped with light 

 brown; the rest of the tail feathers dull black, largely tipped 

 with dull white. 



