HONEY-EATER. 159 



The female is said to be the stouter of the two, more brilliant in 

 plumage, the bill more curved, and the tail shorter. The wattle in 

 this sex is wanting, but the feathers on the chin are dark, long, and 

 hang in a diffuse manner. 



A. — Length twelve inches. General colour brownish black, 

 marked all over with brilliant white streaks, most minute, and 

 numerous on the crown of the head, the streaks in general passing 

 down the shafts, and swelling out into a spot at the tip of each 

 feather. This may probably be a young bird, it is one-third smaller, 

 and has no wattle. 



B. — In this the head and neck behind are dusky black ; the rest 

 dusky ash-colour, margins of the feathers whitish ; on the back of 

 the neck and back a few dashes of white; the top of the head, 

 including the eyes, black; under parts of the body paler than above, 

 with a few obscure markings ; bill black, with a red caruncle on 

 each side of the jaw ; legs pale ferruginous. 



C. — Length twelve inches. Bill one inch long, somewhat bent, 

 and dusky; general colour of the plumage brown, streaked with 

 white lines ; quills plain brown, more or less rufous within, the inner 

 ones for nearly the whole of their length ; five of the outer ones 

 tipped with white, the first very short, scarcely half the length of 

 the second ; under parts of the body white, dashed with brown ; the 

 tail consists of twelve feathers, and cuneiform, the two middle ones 

 six inches long, the outer only five, colour brown, the four outer ones 

 with white ends ; the wings, when closed, reach half way on the 

 tail ; legs brown. This was without the wattle. 



