M E L IP Q T E S GYMNÖPS, ScLater.
MELIPOTES GYMNOPS, Sdater.
Naked-faced Honey-eater.
Melipotes gymnops, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 695, fig. 3 & pi. 56.—A. B. Meyer, Sitzungsber. der k.-k .
Akad. d. Wissenschaften zu Wien, lxx. 1874, p. 128.—T. Salvadori, Ann. del Mus. Civ. di Genova,
vol. vii. 1875, p . 776.
T h e discovery o f th e p re s e n t spec ie s in th e A rfak M o u n ta in s o f New Gu in ea make s an im p o rta n t addition
to th e g re a t g ro u p o f Ho n e y -e a te rs— a g ro u p a lm o st p e c u lia r to th e P a p u a n Islan d s an d A u s tra lia . T h e
size o f th e b ird u n d e r c o n sid e ra tio n is ab o u t th a t o f Melidectes torquatus; b u t it differs in its s h o rte r and
m o re ro b u s t bill an d in its much m o re n a k e d face. T h e only rem a rk made by D r . S c la te r is as follows
“ T h is form o f th e M e lip h ag in e family is very d is tin c t on a c co u n t o f th e d en u d a tio n o f th e whole ocular
re g io n , which is frin g e d below by a n arrow c a ru n cle . D ’A lb e rtis’s n o te s d o n o t g iv e th e co lo u r o f these
n ak e d p a r t s ; b u t th e y a r e probably o ra n g e o r flesh-colour. T h e bill is sh o rt and r a th e r s to u t ; th e n o strils
a re sh o rt a n d suboval, an d s itu a te d in a shallow g roove n e a r th e c e n tra l fe a th e r s .”
T h e following d e sc rip tio n is tak e n from a sp ec im e n in D r . M ey e r’s c o lle c tio n :— T h ro a t a n d ch e s t
b lac k ish , becom in g lig h te r on th e flanks a n d abd om en , th e lig h t m a rk s assum in g th e fo rm o f tria n g u la r
s p o t s ; u n d e r tail-cove rts p a le buff; u n d e r ta il-fe a th e rs brownish g re y , th e shafts, as in th e o th e r species
o f H o n e y -e a te rs , b ein g w h itis h ; b ill b la c k ; fe e t b lu ish b la c k ; l a rg e n a k e d sp a c e ro u n d th e ey e wavy,
o ra n g e -y e llow ; crown o f th e h e a d a n d b a c k black ish brown, lighter on th e r um p ; ta il-fe a th e rs pale
b row n, e d g e d w ith o liv e ; wings, on th e u p p e r su rfa c e b row n, m a rg in e d as in th e t a i l ; u n d e r su rfa c e o f
th e wings ric h buff, p a s s in g in to brown on th e p rim a rie s .
T o ta l le n g th in ch e s, bill 1, wing 4 i , ta il 5 , ta rs i 1 |.
Had. A tam , a p u d m o n ies P a p u a n o s Arfak.
T h e two b ird s in th e ac companying P la te a r e o f th e size o f life, from spec imens in D r . M eye r’s
collection.