Genus —Z ANTHOMIZA. 
* 
I 
Zanthomiza Swainson, Classif. of Birds, Vol. II., 
p. 326, July 1st, 1837. Type (by monotypy).. Merops pyhrygius Shaw. 
Also spelt— 
Xanthomyza Strickland, Annals Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol. VI., p. 419, 1841. 
Zanthomyza Gould, Birds Austr., pt. xn. (Vol. IV., pi. 48), Sept. 1st, 1843. 
Mdiphaga Gray, List Genera Birds, 2nd ed., p. 20, Sept. 1841, and of recent 
authorities. 
Larger “ Honey-Eaters ” with short stout curved bills and bare pustulose 
skin around eyes, long wing, long fan-shaped tail and short legs and small feet. 
The bill is shorter than the head, stout, compressed laterally, the culmen 
keeled basally, anteriorly round, tip a little decurved and posteriorly slightly 
notched; the nasal groove is long, nearly half the length of the bill from 
frontal feathering, which encroaches a little on the nasal groove ; large horny 
operculum nearly obscuring the linear nostril slit; nasal bristles prominent, 
rictal bristles present but obscure ; lower mandible straight with no marked 
gonys, the long interramal space, feathered, nearly half the length of the 
mandible. The whig has the first primary short, less than half the length of 
the second and less than one-third the length of the third, which is about equal 
to the sixth, the fourth and fifth subequal and a little longer, the second equal 
to the seventh and longer than the secondaries. The tail is fan-shaped, of 
twelve feathers with rather pointed tips. The legs are short; in front 
obscurely scutellate, almost booted, although eight scutes are clearly seen in 
immature; posteriorly bilaminate; the toes are slender, hind-toe stouter, the 
hind-toe and claw about equal to middle-toe and claw, outer toe longer than 
inner, inner toe and claw about equal to middle toe alone, claws slender. 
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