184 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. I 



THE GENUS-NAME MELIPHAGA. 



By Gregory M. Mathews. 



In the Birds of New Holland, John William Lewin 

 introduced the genus Meliphaga. Four species were there 

 included in the genus which was diagnosed thus : — 



" Or. Picae. Gen. Meliphaga. 

 Character of the Genus. 



Beak arched, stout, and almost three sided, PI. 3b. 



Nostrils long and covered with a membrane. 



Tongue long, and split into a number of hairs at the- 

 end. PI. 3a. 



Feet formed for climbing, the outer toe joined to the- 

 middle one as far as the first joint. 



The birds of this genus feed on the nectarine juice 

 concentrated in all the flowers of this country, which 

 they extract with the bunch of hair at the end of their 

 long tongues." 



It is obvious from this that the genus was formed to 

 include all Australian Honeyeaters, and four species are 

 named, all figured : these are Meliphaga phrygia, 

 M. cyanops, M. chrysotis, and M. chrysocephala. The 

 three former are credited to older writers, while the last- 

 named was new. 



The genus was at once taken up by systematists for 

 Honeyeaters from Australia generally, and probably 

 Melithreptus, introduced by Vieillot in the Analyse 

 nouv. Ornith., p. 46, 1816, was simply intended for the 

 same group, but as the species indicated belongs to 

 a different genus it is independently maintained. 



Swainson in the Zool. Illus., Vol. I., pi. 43, 1820, gave 

 a plate of Melliphaga auricomis, and there gave a "Generic 

 Character " of "Melliphaga Lewin," and designated as 

 " Typus genericus, Certhia novaehollandiae Lath." Of 

 course this type -designation cannot be accepted, as the 



