Order PASSERIFORMES. 
No. 643. 
Family MELITHREPT1DM. 
MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA. 
RED-HEADED HONEY-EATER. 
(Plate 515.) 
Myzomela erytheocephala Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1839, p. 144, March 1840 : 
Port Essington, Northern Territory. 
Myzomela erythrocephala Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1839, p. 144, 1S40; id., Birds 
Austr., pt. xi. (Vol. IV., pi. 64), June 1st, 1843; id., Handb. Birds Austr., Vol. I., 
p. 556, 1865; Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. II., p. 190, 1878; Forbes, 
Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1879, p. 262; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. IX., 
p. 133, 1884 ; Ramsay, Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 14, 1888; Hall, Key Birds Austr., 
p. 37, 1899 ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, Vol. I., p. 353, 1901 ; North, 
Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat. No. 1, Vol. II., p. 95, 1906; Hall and Rogers, Emu, Vol. VII., 
p. 139, 1908 (N.W.A.); Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 93, 1908; Hill, Emu, 
Vol. X., p. 284, 1911 (N.W.A.); id., ib., Vol. XU., p. 259, 1913 (N.T.); 
Macgillivray, ib., Vol. XIII., p. 176, 1914 (N.Q.); H. L. White, ib., Vol. XVI., 
p. 227, 1917 (N.T.); Macgillivray, ib., Vol. XVII., p. 204, 1918 (N.Q.); Campbell, 
ib., Vol. XVIII., p. 185, 1919 (N.T); id., ib., Vol. XX., p. 63, 1920 (N.Q.). 
Myzomela erythrocephala erythrocephala Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 395; id., 
List Birds Austr., p. 263, 1912. 
Myzomela erythrocephala hempi Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 396, Jan. 31st, 1912 : 
Cape York, North Queensland; id., List Birds Austr., p. 264, 1913. 
Myzomela erythrocephala derbyi Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 396, Jan. 31st, 
1912 : Derby, North-west Australia, ; id., List Birds Austr., p. 263, 1913. 
Myzomela erythrocephala melvitterms Mathews, Austral Avian Record, Vol. I., pt. 2, p. 48, 
April 2nd, 1912 : Melville Island ; id.. List Birds Austr., p. 263, 1913. 
Distribution. Northern Australia from Derby, North-west Australia to Cape York, 
North Queensland. 
Adult male. Top of head, sides of face, chin and throat bright red, intermixed with black 
on the nape like the rump and upper tail-coverts; lores, eye-ring, fore-neck and 
upper wing-coverts black; primary-coverts and flight-quills blackish-brown with, 
white margins to the inner-webs of the latter ; tail also blackish-brown, the outermost 
feather on each side white and some of the other feathers slightly marked with 
white at the tips; breast, sides of body, abdomen, thighs and under tail-coverts 
311 
