MELIRRHOPHETES BATESI, 
Sharpe . 
Bateses Honey-eater. 
Melirrhophetes batesi, Sharpe, Nature, 188G, p. 340. 
The discovery of a species of the genus Melirrhophetes in Southern New Guinea is of great interest, as 
hitherto the genus has been supposed to be confined to the north-western portion of that island. It is being 
gradually proved, however, that these mountainous faunae of the north-west and south-east of New Guinea are 
similar in character, and that either the same species occur throughout the island, or else representative species 
of the same genus are discovered. In the present instance the Melirrhophetes of the Astrolabe Mountains 
is closely allied to M. ochromelas of Meyer, from the Arfak Mountains ; but it is evidently distinct, having a 
tuft of tawny feathers above and below the bare space ot the eye, nor does it seem to have the brown shade 
behind the ear-coverts which is represented in our Plate of M. ochromelas, and was drawn from the type 
specimen. I am not aware of the existence of any example of the last-named species in this country, so we 
have only had the Plate to compare with, but this leaves little doubt of the distinctness of M. batesi. 
No particulars accompanied the single specimen sent by Mr. Forbes, who obtained it in the Sogeri district 
of the Astrolabe range in Southern New Guinea. At his request we have named it after Mr. II. AY. Bates, 
who, a traveller himself, knows how to sympathise with the difficulties which surround the absent explorer. 
The following is a description of the typical specimens : — 
Adult. General colour above blackish, the mantle and upper back tipped with white or pale tawny buff 
edges to the feathers ; the lower back aud rump uniform dark brown ; scapulars and lesser wing-coverts 
blackish with a slight wash of olive, a little more distinct on the median series ; the greater and primary- 
coverts, as well as the quills, blackish brown, edged with olive-yellow, more distinct on the secondaries ; 
bastard-wing dusky blackish ; primaries tipped with pale fulvous, extending a little way down the outer web ; 
upper tail-coverts dark brown, with a slight wash of olive ; tail-feathers dark brown, edged externally with 
greenish olive ; crown of head black, the occiput and nape browner, with a faint tinge of olive, the hind neck, 
again, rather blacker ; lores black ; region of the eye bare, with a band of pale tawnv feathers on the sides 
of the crown along the eye; ear-coverts and feathers below the eye, as well as the cheeks, black, the 
ear-coverts and hinder cheeks slightly washed with grey, and having a small tult of tawny feathers behind 
the former; throat and under surface of body blackish brown, with narrow shaft-lines of ashy white on 
the breast-feathers, the lower breast and abdomen browner and more sooty ; sides of body, flanks, and thighs 
like the breast; under tail-coverts dusky brown, broadly edged with tawny or yellowish buff; under wing- 
coverts and axillaries blackish, the latter tipped with yellowish buff; quills below blackish, the primaries 
with pale tips, the base of the inner webs also pale tawny. Total length 9 inches, culmen 1 "3, wing 4‘8, 
tail 4*1, tarsus l - 05. 
The figures in the Plate are drawn from the specimen described above, and represent the species of the 
natural size. 
[R. B. S.] 
