30 



STRIGICEPS LEUCOPOGON less. 



Strigiceps leucopogon Lesson, Echo du Monde Savant 1840 (?) ; Rev. Zoot. 1840, p. 266 ; Suppl. aux ceuvres 

 compl. de Buffon, Descr. de Mammif. & Ois, rteeram. decouverts, p. 277 (1847 — Nouvelle Hollande) ; 

 Hartlaub, Beitrag Gesch ausgest Vogel, in Abhandl. Naturw. Ver. Bremen, 2te Ausgabe, als M.S. gedr., 

 p. 40 (1896). 



Nobody has hitherto identified the curious bird described by Lesson, I.e., under the above name. From the 

 generic characters he gives it is evident that it was a bird with a long, curved bill, lanceolate feathers on the 

 head and throat, and long, strongly graduated tail, doubtless belonging to the Meliphagidae. The description of 

 the colouration is as follows : — 



" Back, wings and tail bright greenish-olive ; quills brown inside ; shafts of the rectrices canary-yellow 

 from below, glossy brown-red from above ; top of head and neck chestnut, each feather being narrow and streaked 

 with white, then with fawn-colour on the top ; the feathers of the throat are elongated and fringed out on their 

 edges, very narrow and lanceolate, grey at base, white at the tips ; cheeks, sides of neck and chest ferruginous 

 some white streaks on the feathers of the chest and in the middle of the throat ; flanks and belly clear rufous, 

 passing into canary-yellow on the under tail-coverts. Tail from below greenish-yellow ; tarsi horn-colour, bill 

 above brownish, below yellowish with brown tip. Length about eight french inches and a half (0.23 centimetres)." 

 {Translated.) 



This bird was said to have come from Australia. I have made enquiries, but the type seems to have 

 disappeared. There is something in the description reminding us of Chaetoptila angustiplutna. Unless the 

 description is faulty, this bird came probably not from Australia, but from one of the Pacific Islands. It has 

 not been observed since, and is possibly extinct. 



