- * DBS € 1UJRA; G ouU
MYZANTHA OBSCURA, Gould.
Sombre Honey-eater.
Myzantha obscura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 159.
Bil-ya-goo-rong, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Bil-youfi-ga, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
T h is species inhabits Swan River and the south-western portion o f Australia generally, where it beautifully
represents the Myzantha garrula of New South Wales. In habits, actions and disposition the two birds
nearly assimilate, minor differences being easily discernible.
Mr. Gilbert’s notes supply me with the following information, which I give in his own words
“ It inhabits every variety of wooded situation, in all parts of the colony, and is generally met with in
small families. In flying the wings are moved very rapidly, but the bird does make progress in proportion
to the apparent exertion ; at times, when passing from tree to tree, its flight is graceful in the extreme.
“ Its note is a loud pee-pee, which is often very much varied.
“ The stomach is small but tolerably muscular; and the food, which consists o f coleopterous and other
insects, seeds and berries, is procured both on the ground and among the branches.
“ The nest is built on an upright fork o f the topmost branches of the smaller gum trees, and is formed of
small dried sticks lined with soft grasses and feathers. The eggs are eleven and a half lines long by nine
lines broad, of a rich orange-buff, obscurely spotted and blotched with a deeper tint, particularly at the
larger end.”
The sexes offer but little difference in colour, but the female is somewhat smaller in all her admeasurements.
Forehead yellowish olive; lores, line beneath the eye and ear-coverts black; head and all the upper
surface dull grey, with an indistinct line of brown down the centre of each feather, giving the whole a
mottled appearance; wings and tail brown, margined at the base of the external webs with wax-yellow, the
tail terminating in white; throat and under surface dull grey, becoming lighter on the lower part o f the
abdomen and under tail-coverts; the feathers o f the breast with a crescent-shaped mark o f light brown
near the extremity, and tipped with light grey; irides dark brown; bare skin round the eye, bill, and bare
patch on each side of the throat, bright yellow; legs and feet dull reddish yellow; claws dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.