PHILEMON PLUMIGENI S .
Hoary-throated Honey-eater.
Tropidorhynchus, n. sp., Wall. Ann. & Mag. N a t. Hist. 1857, xx. p. 473.
IVopHorhynchus phmigenie, Gray, P ro c. Zool. Soc. 1858, pp. 174, 1 9 1 , - I d . Cat. Birds New Guinea, pp. 24, 56
(1851*).—-Id. P roc. Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 4 3 4—Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p.- 165 (1865).—Rosenl). Reis. n.
Zuidoostereil, p . 79 (1 8 6 7 ).—Meyer, Silz. k . Akad. Wien, lxx. p . 144 (1874).—Rosenb. Malay Arch,
p. 365 (1878-79). ■
Philemon plumigems, Gray, I-Iand-list of B irds, i. p. 160, n o , 2081 (1869).—Salvad. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 88.—Id . Ann.
Mns. Civic. Genov, xiv. p . 655 (1879), xvi. p . 79 (1 8 8 0 ) .- Id . R ep o rt Voy. ' Challenger,' ii. p. 70
(1 8 8 o l§ -Id . Om . Papnasia, etc. ii. p . 353 (1881).—Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, p. 51.
T h e Timor Laut examples of this species cannot be said to b e strictly identical with the Philemon plumigems
o f the Ke Islands, for the head is so much paler brown, more like that o f Philemon bmruemis, which it further
resembles in having the light mottling above the eye, on the ear-coverts, and sides of face. There can be no
doubt that P . plumigems and P . bouruensis are very closely,allied—so closely, indeed, that it is not easy to assign
distinct specific characters to them.
In onr article on Oriolm decipiens we have drawn attention to the way in which its plumage mimics that of
the present species of Honey-eater, and we would invite our readers to compare the descriptions and
figures of the two birds, and' to notice how wonderful is the resemblance between them, even to such details
as the light hind neck, the appearance of an eyebrow, and the blackish colour of the Oriole s Side face, where
the bare skin occurs in the Honey-eater. Mr. Forbes tells us that the resemblance is even carried out in
their mode of life, and that they are difiicult to tell when sitting in the same tree, were it not for the
difference o f their notes.
We have described here an adult male collected by Mr. Forbes in the lenimber Islands.
Adult male. General colour ahove brown, a little paler on the head and mantle ; the lower back, rump,
and upper tail-coverts darker and more ashy brown ; feathers of the crown somewhat lanceolate in shape,
with narrow blackish shaft-lines and dusky centres, not sufficiently pronounced to impart a streaked appearance
; wing-coverts and quills brown, shaded with ashy on the outer webs of the quills ; tail-feathers light
brown, rather paler at their ends and crossed with dusky bars under certain lights; sides of the face and
region o f the eye bare, as well as the ear-spot; ear-coverts and hinder cheeks brown, the fore part o f the
cheeks washed with hoary whitish; sides o f neck hoary grey, extending in a narrow collar round the hind
neck; throat and fore neck hoary, the malar line brown; remainder o f under surface of body pale ashy
brown, the chest with narrow dark-brown shaft-stripes ; axillaries and under wing-coverts like the breast,
washed with rufous on the edge of the wing ; quills dusky brown below; “ bill, legs, and feet black ; ins
dark brown ” ( / / . 0 . Forbes).
The Plate is drawn from one of Mr. Forbes's specimens ; the principal figure is of the natural size.
[R .B .S .] .