MELILESTES POIIOPTEMTS, Simpv.
MELILESTES POLIOPTERUS, Sharpe.
Grey-winged Honey-eater.
Melilestes poly opt erus, Sharpe, Journ. Lion. Soc., Zool. vol. xvi. pp. 318, 438 (1882).
T h e genus Melilestes was founded by Count Salvador! for the reception of a little group of Honey-eatefs
peculiar to the Papuan subregion. The four species comprised under the genus present considerable
difference in coloration ; but the affinities of the present bird are clearly with M. nova g uinea, a little species
which was for a long time thought by naturalists to be an Arachnothera. The latter genus is now considered
to be exclusively Indian ; and although M. nova g uinea and M. poliopterus have much the appearance of a
Spider-hunter, they would be expected from their habitats to be more nearly allied to the Australian Meli-
phagida.
The chief differences which M. poliopterus exhibits when compared with M. nova guinea are the plumbeous
wings and head, as well as the yellow spot on the throat.
Mr. Goldie obtained a single specimen of this new species in the Choqueri district, at the back of the
Astrolabe Mountains, in South-eastern New Guinea, where it was called by the natives “ bererita.”
The following description has been taken from Mr. Sharpe’s paper on Mr. Goldie’s collections :—
“ General colour above green, the whole of the crown and nape dark slaty g rey ; wing-coverts slaty-grey,
quills dusky, externally slaty grey, rather lighter along the edge o f the primaries, the secondaries with a very
aint olive tint on the outer webs ; tail-feathers dusky, externally edged , with slaty grey and having a small
white spot at the tip o f the inner web; lores, sides o f face and ear-coverts'dull slaty grey with a slight wash
o f green; under surface of body olive-yellow, the chin dusky grey washed with yellow, the lower throat
bright yellow; thighs ashy washed with yellow ; under tail-coverts yellow, ashy grey along the centre;
under wing-coverts and axillaries white, the latter washed with yellow ; quills dusky brown, edged with
white along the inner web. Total length 4-4 inches, culmen 1*2, wing 2 ‘85, tail 1-55, tarsus 0 7 . ”
The figures in the Plate are drawn from the typical specimen in the British Museum, and represent an
adult bird of the natural size in two positions. [R.B. .]