TMCHOGLOSSUS ARFAKI (A.B.Meyer). 



[Continued from vol. i. p. 148.] 



By Mr. G. D. ROWLEY. 



In the 3rd Part of the ' Birds of New Guinea/ Mr. Gould remarks as follows, 

 speaking of this species : — It differs " from all its allies in having fourteen 

 tail-feathers instead of twelve. Only three specimens were procured by Dr. 

 Meyer during his trip to the Arfak mountains — one old male in full livery, 

 and two young ones. One of the latter passed into the collection of Count 

 Turati, of Milan, and the other into that of Mr. Dawson Rowley, of Brighton, 

 by whom it was figured. His specimen is depicted in the adjoining Plate, 

 along with the adult male retained by Dr. Meyer for the Dresden collection, 

 and sent over by him to England. The Plate in the ' Ornithological 

 Miscellany ' represents the bird to be a female ; but I am assured by 

 Dr. Meyer that some error must have occurred, by the displacement of the 

 original label ; for he himself dissected the specimens shot, and proved them 

 to be males, one being adult, as before noted, and the other two immature. 

 These had the colouring incomplete, except as regards their tails ; but in 

 size, as is often the case with young birds, they somewhat exceeded the adult. 

 It is one of these young birds that has been figured by Mr. Dawson Rowley.''' 



I am much obliged to Mr. Gould for detecting this difference of sex. 

 The bird was marked as a female when it came into my hands. 



He further adds: — ''That this is a honey-eating Parrot I have no doubt, its 

 general characteristics uniting it with this group of the Parrots ; but its colours 

 are strikingly anomalous. Fancy a little bird, scarcely bigger than a Bearded 



VOL. II, T 



