CRESCENT HONEY-EATER. 
on the abdomen, and that the female flew and fluttered to the ground apparently 
in great distress; that when she saw her efforts were in vain, snapped up 
a minute fly, returned to the nest, fed one of the yoimg with it and 
then settled on the nest while it was being watched at close quarters.” 
Shaw described tliis bu'd from a flgure published by Vieillot, which very 
probably was copied from the Lambert or Watling drawings, and Shaw’s 
name was used until Sharpe examined the Watling drawings and definitely 
recognised that No. 112 was the type of Latham’s Certhia 'pyrrhoptera, and 
consequently tins name must be used. Gray and Gould had determined this 
from the Lambert d^a^vings many years previously, but for some miicnown 
reason Gould did not make use of it, but continued \rtth the name australasiana. 
Before he went to Australia, Gould had described a bird from Tasmania as 
a distinct species under the name Mdiphaga inornata, but later synonymised 
it without explanation, as it was based upon an immature specimen. When 
A. G. Campbell made his comparison of Victoria and Tasmanian forms he 
had no specimens of the island form, but gave measurements made by Littler 
which apparently showed the Tasmanian form to have a longer bill, shorter 
wing and longer tarsus, which are correct, while it is also darker. 
A. G. Campbell easily distinguished the Kangaroo Island form, writing: 
“ This was an unexpected bird upon the island, where it was common in the 
scrub along the river. It possesses a bill T5 larger than the Victorian 
specimens, and is of duller plrmiage. The strUring vdng-patch and also the 
colour on the tail is gi'eenish-yeUow, and not bright yellow. There is less 
white on the tail (‘75 in. against ‘9 in.), no white centre to the chest, and the 
upper tlnoat is but faintly streaked. The young bird has a short bill, but 
the sexes can be distinguished by the male, even in the browner youthful 
plumage having a prominent greenish-yellow wing-patch. The female is 
tlu'oughout darker than the mainland female. Measm-ements are as follows: 
L. australasiana male Length 6’3 in. Bill '6 Wing 3‘05 Tail 2’75 Tarsus '7 
female 
5*7 
•58 
2-62 
2-35 
•7 
L. halmaturina male 
5-7 
•75 
2-8 
2-5 
•8 
female 
5-3 
•72 
2-62 
2-2 
•8 
In my “ Reference List ” in 1912 I allowed four subspecies thus : 
Mdiornis pyrrhoptera pyrrhoptera (Latham). 
Queensland, New South Wales. 
Mdiornis pyrrhoptera indistincta Mathews. 
“ Differs from M. p. pyrrhoptera in its darker coloration above, especially on 
the head, forming a cap ; much greener on the wing. (Mount Lofty), South 
Australia.” 
Victoria, South Austraha. 
11 
