Order PASSERIFORMES. 
No. 651. 
Family MELITHREPTIDM. 
RAMSAYORNIS MODESTUS. 
BROWN-BACKED HONEY-EATER. 
(Plate 521.) 
[Glyciphila modesta Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), July 13th, 1858, p. 174: Aru 
Islands.] 
Gliciphila subfasciata Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond) 1868, p. 385, Oct. 1st: Rockingham 
Bay, Queensland; error=Cape York, North Queensland. 
Gliciphila subfasciata Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond) 1868, p. 385 ; id., ib., 1875, p. 594; 
Gould, Birds New Guinea, pt. m. (Vol. III., pi. 46), May 1st, 1876 ; Ramsay, 
Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. II., p. 188, 1878. 
Glycyphila modesta Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. IX., p. 215, 1884; Ramsay, Tab. 
List Austr. Birds, p. 12, 1888; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 40, 1899; Campbell, 
Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, Vol. I., p. 376, 1901; North, Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., 
No. 1, Vol. II., p. 78, 1906; Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 94, 1908; 
Macgillivray, Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 177, 1914 (N.Q.) ; Campbell, ib., Vol. XV., p. 187, 
1916 (N.Q.);- Campbell and Barnard, ib., Vol. XVII., p. 32, 1917 (N.Q.); 
Macgillivray, ib., p. 205, 1918 ; Campbell, ib., Vol. XX., p. 63, 1920. 
Gliciphila modesta subfasciata Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 400, Jan. 31st, 1912. 
Gliciphila modesta ramsayi Mathews, ib. : Cairns, North Queensland. 
Ramsayornis modestus subfasciatus Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 267, 1913. 
Ramsayornis modestus ramsayi Mathews, ib. 
Distribution. North Queensland, Cape York to Cairns district (Aru Islands and New 
Guinea). 
Adult male. General colour of the upper-surface mummy-brown, including the top of 
the head, sides of face, hind-neck, sides of neck, entire back, upper tail-coverts, 
scapulars, and upper wing-coverts ; flight-quills dark brown with pale edgings 
on the outer webs and margined with whitish on the inner ones ; tail-feathers also 
dark brown slightly paler at the tips ; loral-streak black ; under-surface for the 
most part cream-wliite ; sides of breast mummy-brown ; middle of breast tinged 
with mummy-brown; flanks streaked with mummy-brown; axillaries, under 
wing-coverts, and inner margins of flight-quills below buff ; remainder of the 
quill-lining and lower aspect of tail dark brown. Bill light horn, legs and feet light 
brown, eyes dusky. Total length 120 mm. ; culmen 13, wing 71, tail 45, tarsus 16. 
Figured. Collected at Cairns, North Queensland, in October 1908, and is the type 
of G. m. ramsayi. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
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