Order PASSERIFORMES. 
No. 25. 
Family MUSGIGAHDM. 
ROYIGERYGONE MODESTA. 
NORFOLK ISLAND FLY-EATER. 
: (Plate 21.) 
Gerygone modesta Pelzeln, Sitz. Alt. der. Wiss., Vol. XLI., p. 320, 1860 (after June 8th): 
Norfolk Island. 
Gerygone modesta Pelzeln, Sitz. Alt. der Wiss., Vol. XLI., p. 320, 1860 (after June 8th). 
Pseadogerygone modesta Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 63, Jan. 1908. 
Gerygone mathewsce Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 449, Jan. 1912. New name for modesta. 
Royigerygone modesta Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 322, Dec. 1913 ; Mathews and Iredale, 
Austral. Av. Rec., Vol. IV., p. 110, Dec. 16th, 1920. 
Distribution. Norfolk Island. 
Adult male. Occiput, nape, hind-neck, lower back, rump and upper tail-feathers, dull olive- 
brown, brightest on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; primary-quills brownish-ash, faintly 
margined on the outer web with olive ; middle pah- of tail-feathers uniform ash-brown, 
with a broad band of blackish-brown across the middle half and a triangular patch of 
white near the extremity ; feathers surrounding the eye white ; sides of the face, cheeks, 
ear-coverts, throat, sides of the neck, chest and breast leaden-grey; middle of abdomen 
creamy-white ; sides of the body, flanks and thighs dark grey, tinged with olive; under 
tail-coverts white tinged with yellow ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, slightly 
tinged with yellow ; quills below ash-grey, with the margins of the inner web whitish. 
Bill black, eyes bright pink, feet blue-black. Total length 106 mm. : culmen 9, wing 56 o, 
tail 47, tarsus 20. Figured. Collected at Middlegate, Norfolk Island, on the 21st of May, 
1913. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. Crowm of the head, occiput, nape, hind-neck, lower back, 
rump and upper tail-coverts uniform olive-brown, brightest on the upper tail-coverts; 
primary-quills brownish-ash, very faintly margined on the outer web with olive; middle 
pair of tail-feathers uniform ash-brown, with a broad band of blackish-brown across the 
middle and a triangular patch of white near the extremity; feathers round the eye pure 
wiiite ; sides of the face, ear-coverts and cheeks light grey ; chin white ; throat, sides of the 
neck and fore-neck light grey ; chest, breast, abdomen, flanks, thighs and under tail- 
coverts white ; sides of the body olive-yellow T ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, 
tinged with yellow ; quills below ash-grey. Bill black, eyes bright pinkish-red, feet dark 
bluish-grey. Total length 95 mm. : culmen 9, wing 52, tail 43. Figured. Collected at 
Dixey, Norfolk Island, on the 8th of May, 1913. 
Immature. Entire upper-parts dark brown, washed with dark olive ; primaries and secondaries 
dark ash-brown, margined on the outer web with olive ; tail-feathers brownish-olive, 
blackish in the middle and with a large spot of white on the inner w T eb near the extremity; 
under-parts whitish strongly tinged with olive-yellow T , especially on the sides of the body; 
under wing-coverts and axillaries very pale yellow; under surface of primary-quills 
greyish-ash, lighter on the margins of the inner web. Bill light grey, eyes light pink, feet 
light grey, tinged with yellow. Collected near Dixey, Norfolk Island, on the 7th of March, 
1913. 
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