BROWN-BACKED HONEY-EATER. 
Ramsay described a new species of Gliciphila from Rockingham Bay, 
Queensland, as G. subfasciata, and it was later recognised as conspecific with 
a bird just previously described by G. R. Gray from the Aru Islands. 
When I prepared my “ Reference List ” I found that my birds from 
Cairns did not agree with birds from Cape York, but that the latter agreed 
with Ramsay’s bird, so I wrote : “I have examined a bird sent by Ramsay 
at the time lie described this species, and which can be regarded as a paratype, 
if not the actual type (which it is declared to be on the label). This bird agrees 
absolutely with specimens collected at Cape York, and disagrees with 
specimens collected at Cairns. As Ramsay -was receiving collections from 
Cape York at the time he described his bird, I can only conclude that his 
specimens were erroneously localised, and came from Cape York and not from 
Rockingham Bay as stated.” 
I then named 
Gliciphila modesta ramsayi. 
“Differs from G. m. subfasciata in its much larger size (wing 71 mm.), darker 
coloration above and the breast markings more pronounced. Cairns, North 
Queensland,” and transferring these to the genus Eamsayornis, which I 
introduced for tills species, still admitted the two in my 1913 “ List.” 
Campbell and Barnard, apparently ignorant of the above explanation, 
recently wrote regarding birds from Cardwell: “ Was a common bird. We 
believe this Honey-eater to be a true modesta. If Mathews thinks it is sub- 
specifically distinct, and should bear another name, he should have used 
Ramsay’s subfasciata, and not his own ramsayi. Subfasciata was from 
Rockingham Bay, not Cape York, as indicated in Mathew’s 1913 ‘ List,’ 
page 267. However, Ramsay, in his ‘ Tabular List ’ (1888) states that 
1 G. subfasciata=G. modesta ’; Broadbent in his ‘ List ’ mistook it for the other 
species— G. fasciata .” 
It would have been of some value had Campbell and Barnard stated 
whether their true modesta came from the Aru Islands or where; whether the 
Cardwell birds they examined showed the larger size and bolder markings 
I referred to as differentiating it. These would appear to be characteristic 
if their last sentence be correct, as Broadbent might mistake a boldly marked 
bird for G. fasciata, but could never mistake the faintly marked bird from 
Cape York such as Ramsay sent here. Moreover, as I have already pointed 
out in another case, the birds Broadbent collected are stated to be in the 
Queensland Museum and available for examination. I cannot easily examine 
them here while they could be compared by Campbell and Barnard with ease 
and accuracy. 
VOL. XI. 
369 
