THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
upper part and white chin, albigularis was also separable by having the bare 
skin above and behind the eye dull greenish-blue, while in lunulatus this is 
rich orange-scarlet. 
The specific value of the differences quoted by North appear problematical, 
as the olive-yellow of the back is very similar to the greener coloration of 
lunulatus, while the bare skin round the eye coloration seems only a sub¬ 
specific feature ; thus Gould gave that of his “ chloropsis ” in his diagnosis 
as pale green instead of red and never mentioned that feature in his “ albogu- 
laris ,” but in his description of chloropsis he wrote “ naked space above the 
eye greenish-white in some, in others pale wine-yellow. This would also 
constitute a species distinct from the lunulatus with red eyelids and ally it to 
the species albogularis. 
It will also be noted that the white chin is emphasized as a feature of 
albogularis, but above it will be noted that Hall gave as a specific diagnostic 
of lunulatus “ chin pure white.” This was incorrect, as typical lunulatus 
has the chin, or better, the interramal space black. This black feathering 
is of so small a size that it has to be carefully looked for. After careful 
consideration I am not separating albogularis specifically, though I admit 
that the northern birds are all white- throated, pale coloured above, and have 
not red skin round the eye. Rogers’ notes of the eye-ring coloration of 
Derby birds is “ whitish ” ; of Parry’s Creek birds “ grey-blue ” ; Macgillivray 
records from Leichhardt River specimens “ white with a faint greenish tinge, ’ 
and for Cape York birds “ white.” Campbell and Barnard, who have decidedly 
written on this subject in the remarks I quote, do not appear to give their own 
observations of the eye-rim coloration, as follows : 
“ Mdithreptus lunulatus. It was refreshing to meet this well-known 
Honey-eater so far north. We first met it about our camp in the forest of 
the Kirrama Tableland. As expected, the bird is slightly smaller than southern 
birds of the same kind. Its well-known lisping notes are exactly similar. . . 
Of course, we understand that it sometimes takes several subspecies to make 
one species. But, as field observers of this bird from the north to the south 
of its habitat, we venture to believe that an important error has been made 
in classing the following species— M. albogularis —a subspecies of M. lunulatus. 
We found these two birds a few miles only apart as ‘ the Crow flies.’ And 
is it not an axiom, even among subspecificists, that two subspecies of the 
same species cannot exist in the same locality ? This Honey-eater is plentiful 
in Central Queensland, on the Dawson River, among the hills and gorges of 
the Expedition Range. 
“ Mdithreptus albogularis. These birds were in numbers feasting upon 
the abundant flowers of the blue gums ( Eucalyptus tereticornis) and making 
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