YELLOW-THROATED MINAH. 
Collection.’ (Wing 4^ inches, or ^ inch shorter than typical birds from Napier 
Broome Bay.) Like others from North-west Cape, this Coongan bird comes 
nearest Mathews’s wayensis, evidently a more pallid form of lutea. The Great 
Sandy Desert, in this case, appears to operate between the true lutea and 
wayensis” 
Gould described tluree species of Myzantha in 1839-1840: the first {M. 
flavigula) from New South Wales, the second (M. lutea) from the north-west 
coast, and the tim'd {31. obscura) from the Swan River, which, moreover, he 
apparently considered little more than subspecies of the earher kno^vn bird, 
as he wrote of the first-mentioned: “ This species is tolerably abundant in the 
belts of Eucalypta bordering the river Namoi, and all similar situations in the 
interior of New South Wales. Although it has many of the habits and actions 
of its near aUy, the Myzantha garrula, it is much more shy in disposition, less 
noisy, and more disposed to frequent the tops of the trees ; and so exclusively 
does it replace the common species in the districts alluded to that the latter 
does not occur therein.” Of the second Grould wrote: “ I consider this to be 
by far the finest species of the genus yet discovered, exceeding as it does every 
other both in size and in the brilliancy of its colouring. I am indebted to 
Messrs. Bynoe and Dring for fine specimens of this beautiful bird, which were 
obtained by those gentlemen on the north-west coast of Australia, in which 
part of the comitry it suppMes the place of the Myzantha garrula of New South 
Wales. The law of representation is rarely carried out in a more beautiful 
manner than in members of the present genus: the Myzantha garrula being, 
so far as is yet known, confined to the south-eastern portion of the coimtry, 
the 31. lutea to the neighbourhood of the north coast, the Myzantha obsmra 
to Swan River, and the 31. flavigula to the north-eastern portion of the country.” 
His remarks on the tliird species read : “ This species inhabits Swan River and 
the south-western portion of Aiistraha generally, where it beautifully represents 
the 3Iyzantha garrula of New South Wales. In habits, actions, and disposition 
the two birds closely assimilate.” 
These were early recognised as of only subspecific value, and, receiving 
birds from the north-west, HaU ^vrote: “ The length of wing shows these 
specimens to be M. flavigula rather than the subspecies of it. The citron-yellow 
is, however, indicative of M. lutea.” 
When I reviewed the species for my “Reference List” in 1912 I fomid 
them to be only subspecies, but that this species was extraordinarily variable 
geographically and that many subspecies were easily recognisable. 
Just a httle previously, Wilson had described as a new species Myzantha 
melanotus, from the MaUee of Victoria, as differing from M. obscura from West 
Australia in having the auricular patch conspicuously black and larger, and 
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