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z o s t e r o p s albog-u l a b i s ^ B
ZOSTEROPS ALBOGULARIS, Gould.
White-breasted Zosterops.
Zosterops albogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part iv. p. 75; and in Syn. Birds of Aust., pi. . fig. 2.—Gray
and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 198, Zosterops, sp. 6.
The members of the genus Zosterops have a most extensive range over the old world. India proper has
its own peculiar species, and so have Southern Africa, Japan, and China; but the countries in which the
species are most numerous are Australia, Lord Howe’s and Norfolk Islands, and the great Papuan group,
including New Caledonia and the adjacent islands: in all these localities they occur in abundance. Every
island appears to have its own particular species, and some of them two or th ree: Lord Howe’s Island has
two, and in Norfolk and Philip Islands two others occur. On the continent of Australia there are at least
three or four very distinct species, all different from those of the islands, Tasmania excepted. Of all these
numerous species, the present bird is one of the largest; it was characterized and figured by me as long since
as January 1837; its native country is Norfolk Island, whence specimens have been sent from time to time
ever since it was formed into a penal settlement. As is the case with the other members of the genus, there
appears to be but little difference in the outward characters of the sexes, all the specimens that have reached
this country being very similar.
All the upper surface and wing-coverts greenish olive, strongly tinged with chestnut on the back; wings
and tail brown, margined with olive-green; a broad zone of white feathers surrounds each eye, bounded in
front and below with black; throat and centre of the abdomen white; flanks pale chestnut, under tail-coverts
pale yellow; bill and legs lead colour.
The figures are the size of life.