THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
G. F. Hill has observed that in the Kimberley district, North-west 
Australia: “ This widely distributed species shows a decided preference for 
the poorest class of country, viz., the sandy coastal belt and the sandstone 
plateau country, on which the principal vegetation is stunted eucalypt.” 
Barnard noted it was “ Common in the Northern Territory. 
When Milligan described his P. insularis he wrote: “ The habitat of this 
bird is Rottnest Island, off Freemantle, Western Australia, where it is common. 
It is very like Ptilotis sonora in general appearance and colour markings, but 
may readily be distinguished from that species by being more robust in all its 
proportions. The under-surface of the new bird is un iformly dark brown, 
with striations, and lacks the whitish abdomen and under tail-coverts of 
P. sonora. There are also many other minor differences in coloration. I 
have compared a number of skins of the new species with skins of P. sonora 
from the mainland, Bernier Island, North-west Australia, South Australia 
and Victoria.” 
Gould described the Singing Honey-eater from South Australia, and the 
name was used until quite recently, though very soon after Gould’s name was 
published Bonaparte had pointed out that the bird had been named in the Paris 
Museum from specimens collected by Peron et Lesueur. 
When I prepared my “ List ” in 1913 I was ignorant of the fact that 
Pucheran had examined the bird named by Vieillot Melitkreptus virescens 
and had stated it was Gould’s species. Immediately upon noting this I 
made the necessary corrections, accepting M. virescens, and this became the 
specific name. The type locality of M. virescens was selected as Shark’s 
Bay, as being the only point touched at by Peron and Lesueur where this 
species might occur, and since then it has been found to be common there. 
The species is quite a variable form geographically, but no forms were 
differentiated until Ingram in 1908 named the bird occurring at Alexandra, 
Northern lerritory, as a distinct species on account of its pale coloration. 
The specific distinction was denied by most workers at once, but the differences 
were acknowledged but referred to individual or seasonal variation, whereas 
they were due to geographical causes and the form was of subspecific value. 
Milligan had previously noted from the Stirling Ranges, South-west 
Australia: “We found this species in one spot only, in some ‘ sheoaks ’ 
(? Casuarina) on the south side of the Ranges. The notes they uttered were 
peculiar, and different to any I have heard before. I shot three or four, but 
owing to an unfortunate misadventure the specimens were not put into skins.” 
Lawson, recording it from Rottnest Island, wrote: Not uncommon in the 
acacia scrubs. Birds of this species inhabiting Rottnest are certainly much 
darker on the breast and under-parts, and have the dusky stripes better defined 
4G6 
