GOLDEN-BACKED HONEY-EATER. 
Distribution. Northern Australia, ranging westward as far south as the Exmouth 
Gulf, Central to Lake Eyre District, and on the East to Inkerman, Queensland. 
Adult male. Crown of head, lores, sides of face, and hind-neck blackish with a semi-circular 
band of white from the sides of the crown across the nape; sides of neck, back, 
scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts yellow, being brighter on the last; wings 
pale brown with white margins to the inner-webs of the flight-quills ; tail-feathers 
similar with yellowish edges to the outer webs ; cheeks and sides of throat white; 
chin blackish with hair-like tips to the feathers ; middle of throat grey, becoming 
fawn-grev on the breast and sides of body ; abdomen, lower-flanks, thighs, and 
under tail-coverts cream-white like the axillaries, imder wing-coverts, inner 
margins of flight-quills below ; remainder of quill-lining and lower aspect of tail 
pale glossy-brown. Bill black, eyes brown, orbits green, legs and feet light brown. 
Total length 158 mm. ; culmen 13, wing 85, tail 63, tarsus 22, Figured. Collected 
on the Coongan River, Northern Slid-west Australia, on the 1st of July, 1908, 
and is the type of Melithreptus gularis coongani. 
Adult female similar to the adult male. 
Adult mule. Fore-head, crown, lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and a narrow line round 
the hind-neck black ; a narrow white line from the hinder-part of the eye encircling 
the hinder-crown and dividing the black on the hind-neck; back, rump, and upper 
tail-coverts olive-yellow, rather more yellow on the latter ; entire wings pale brown ; 
tail pale brown, the feathers fringed with greenish-yellow on the outer-webs ; chin 
and middle of throat dark brown or blackish ; a line on each side of the throat 
white ; remainder of the under-surface dusky-white including the under wing- 
coverts and under tail-coverts. Total length 149 mm. ; culmen 16, wing 91, tail 
64 (imperfect), tarsus 19. Collected on the Catherine River, North Queensland 
(specimen in full moult), and is the type of M. carpentariana Campbell. 
In the Immature the black of the head is brownish. 
Nest. Cup-shaped, built in the drooping leafy twigs of a Bauhinia, about ten feet from the 
ground/' (North.) 
Eggs. “ Oval in form, gently tapering towards the smaller end, the shell being smooth 
and slightly glossy, and is of a pale fleshy-buff ground-colour, which gradually 
passes into a warm reddish-buff on the larger end, where there are spots and 
blotches of a slightly darker hue, intermingled with underlying markings of faint 
purplish-buff. 22 mm. by 16.” (North.) 
Gould described this species from the Lake Eyre District and Captain S. A. 
White has written me: “ The winter first met with this bird at the foothills 
of the McDonnell Ranges,” quoting: “We met with this handsome bird in the 
foliage of the young gums at Running Waters, on the Finke. We were attracted 
by their call, which resembles [that of] M. gularis. A small party was busily 
engaged searching for insects amongst the gum-tops, but they had little peace 
from the attacks of Ptilotis leilavalensis. Even after a specimen had been 
shot, two Ptilotis followed it to the ground, viciously attacking it all the 
time.” 
Hill has also noted it from Central Australia, so there seems to be no reason 
for not recognising that as the correct type locality. 
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