10 



Ch^etoptila angustipluma. 



The following remarks refer to the stuffed specimen, which, owing to the liberality 

 of Mr. Wilson, now forms one of the treasures of the Cambridge Museum of Zoology. 

 Unfortunately the horny sheath of the tip of the bill, perhaps to the extent of 

 - 5 centim., is broken off. The mandibular sheath is, however,,, nearly intact. The 

 edges of the mandible are slightly overlapped by those of the premaxilla and appear 

 to be quite smooth and not at all serrated. The premaxillary edges seem likewise to 

 be smooth. Whether there was a notch near the tip, can no longer be made out. The 

 nostrils are basal, situated within a large and bare coriaceous groove, and have a large 

 upper operculum ; they agree in every respect with those of other strong-billed 

 Meliphaginae. 



Pterylosis. — The tenth primary is 5 centim. long and slightly curved inwards. The 

 tip of the wing is formed by the seventh to fourth primaries ; the eighth equals the 

 third in length, the ninth is, with the exception of the tenth, the shortest of all. The 

 feathers of the lower back are fluffy,, those of the axillary region only slightly so. The 

 twelve rectrices form a long and much graduated tail ; the single feathers are obliquely 

 pointed at their tips. Most o£ the feathers on the upper throat, near the base of the 

 nostrils — and even those of the forehead; — end in hair-like bristles. 



Metatarsus- covered in front with six to seven transverse scales,, of which those in the 

 middle are the longest ; all these front scales are partly fused with each other and 

 with the long scute which covers the lateral side. On the median side is one long 

 scute, with a few small scales near the toes. The latter closely resemble those of 

 Acanthochmra; especially in the length of the hallux and its very strong and large 

 claw. 



Chwtoptila' angustiplumw is certainly a member of the Meliphagidee, and probably 

 belongs to> those Meliphaginae which possess a multiple brush-tongue. In many of 

 these birds the fine serration of the cutting-edges of the bill is replaced by larger and 

 irregular dents,, which are sometimes almost obsolete;, and are then frequently associated 

 with or rather supplanted by a tooth-like notch near the tip' of the premaxilla. This is, 

 for instance^ the case in- several species- of Ptilotis and in Acanthochmra. With the 

 latter South Australian and Tasmanian genus. Chaitoptila agrees in most of the parti- 

 culars mentioned above. The pattern, and coloration of the plumage, with the light 

 striated marks on the feathers, the shape of the tail, the feet, and even the hair-like 

 curved tips of the feathers of the upper throat, closely resemble those of Acanthochcera 

 carunculata ; but there is no trace of those peculiar wattles which are so conspicuous 

 in many Meliphagine genera. 



Deepanis pacifica.. 

 The following observations refer to the stuffed specimen of this now extinct bird, 

 which Mr. Wilson was fortunate enough to procure. The structure of its tongue, 

 the distribution of the feather-tracts, and the whole of its internal anatomical features 



