/ 
Order PASSERIFORMES. Family MELITHREPTIDJF 
No, 662. 
MICROPTILOTIS GRACILIS. 
LITTLE YELLOW-SPOTTED HONEY-EATER. 
(Plate 528.) 
Ptilotis gracilis Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1866, p. 217, Oct. 1st : Cape York, 
Queensland. 
Ptilotis gracilis Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 'Lond.), 1866, p. 217 ; Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. 
N.S.W., Vol. II., p. 189, 1878 ; id., Tab. List Austr. Birds, pp. 12, 30, 1888 ; Le Souef, 
Ibis, 1898, p. 56, pi. 1 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 41, 1899 ; Campbell, Nests and 
Eggs Austr. Birds, Vol. I., p. 384, 1901 ; North, Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, Vol. 
II., p. 110, 1907; Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 95, 1908; Macgillivray, 
Emu, Vol. X., p. 232, 1910; Barnard, ib., Vol. XI., p. 28, 1911; Macgillivray, 
ib., ’Vol. XIII., p. 178, 1914; Campbell and Barnard, ib., Vol. XVII., p. 33, 1917 - 
Macgillivray. ib., p. 205, 1918; Campbell, ib., Vol. XX., p. 64, pi. v., 1920. 
Ptilotis gracilis gracilis Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 403, Jan. 31st, 1912. 
Ptilotis gracilis imitatrix Mathews, ib. : Cairns, North Queensland. 
Microptilotis gracilis gracilis Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 272, 1913. 
Microptilotis gracilis imitatrix Mathews, ib. 
Distribution. North Queensland only, from Cape York to Cairns. 
Adiilt male. General colour of the upper-surface dark olive-green, including the top 0; 
the head, nape, hind-neck, sides of neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts scapukrs 
and upper wing-coverts ; flight-quills dark brown fringed on the outer webs wit! 
wTtS 6611 and mar £| ne ?T tho inner ones with whitish ; tail pale bronze-brown 
lores and ej e-region blackish ; ear-coverts lemon-yellow; an indication of a pale 
iri ° . be o ^ the e y°J under-surface pale olive-green more or less tinged with 
on the abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; thighs dusky-brown • axillS 
diirk hro r '-f e 1 W ,i ; Un , der wing ~ COVOrt3 P ale bu£f ! under-surfaco of dight-quilL 
dark brown with yellowish margins ; lower aspect of tail paler than its uppor-sSce 
tontthTi? Wbte Sh f tS t0 th ° feathora - E - Ves br own, bUl and feet black Tota 
length 145 mm ; culmen 18, wing 77, tail 62, tarsus 21. Figured. Collected at 
Cairns, North Queensland, in October 1909, and is the type of P. g. imitatrix. 
Adult female similar to tho adult male. 
Eggs. Two eggs usually form the clutch. A clutch of two eggs taken at Lockerbie Car* 
Yoik, North Queensland, on the 17th of October, 1910, is of a beautiful salmon^ 
PpliZlate ST" 1,6 ' arger ° nd ° J ea ° h Cgg) " i,h " 
434 
