Myzomela cardinalis dichromataWetmore

Myzomela cardinalis rubratraMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 (Kusaie).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Kusaie.

Characters.—Adult male: Head (except lores), neck back, rump, upper tail-coverts, chin, throat, breast, and upper abdomen black with feathers tipped with coloring between "scarlet" and "scarlet-red"; rest of feathering black; bill long and curved and black; feet black; iris dark brown.

Table 48. Measurements ofMyzomela cardinalisof Micronesia

21 adult males

20 adult females

24 adult males

22 adult females

9 adult males

2 adult females

47 adult males

14 adult females

2 adult males

17 adult males

8 adult females

Adult female: Resembles adult male, but smaller; red coloring duller; wings and tail more brownish and less blackish; abdomen and under tailcoverts dark gray.

Immature: Resembles adult, but duller and less blackish and more grayish with less red coloring on feathers and an olivaceous-brown tinge to plumage.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 48.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 62 (35 males, 27 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Kusaie, 3 (Feb. 9); AMNH—Kusaie, 59 (Jan., Feb., March).

Nesting.—Finsch records the taking of eggs of the honey-eater at Kusaie on February 26 and March 10, 1880.

Molt.—Evidence of molt was observed in a few specimens taken in January and in larger number of birds taken in March. In addition, some skins obtained in March showed fresh plumage. Although there is little evidence available, I suppose that nesting activities ofM. r. rubratraat Kusaie occur in the winter months of December, January, February, and March, and that molt begins in January, especially in the males, and possibly reaches a peak in March.

Remarks.—M. r. rubratrawas first described by Lesson, who referred to it under the nameCinnyris rubrater. The bird was found by Lesson at Kusaie, when he visited the island in June, 1924, as a member of the expedition from the ship "La Coquille." In his description he also stated that the bird was found in the Philippines by Dussumier. The report of the bird's occurrence in the Philippines proved to be erroneous, as was pointed out by Wetmore (in Townsend and Wetmore, 1919:220). Oustalet (1895:200) contended that Lesson's description was based on the specimens taken by Quoy and Gaimard in the Marianas; he stated that none of the birds which Lesson mentions from Kusaie was preserved. Bonaparte also consideredCinnyris rubraterto be from the Marianas, and he gave the nameMyzomela majorto the honey-eater of the Caroline Islands (apparently including Kusaie) on the basis of specimens taken by Hombron and Jacquinot at Truk. Wetmore (in Townsend and Wetmore, 1919:220) settles the argument and assigns Lesson's namerubratrato the honey-eater at Kusaie; apparently this treatment is the correct one inasmuch as Lesson used his own field notes and records of the occurrence of this honey-eater at Kusaie in preparing his description, even if the actual specimens were not preserved. This arrangement makes Bonaparte's namemajoravailable for the population at Truk and makes Wetmore's namesaffordiavailable for the population in the Marianas. The placing of the honey-eaters of Micronesia within the speciesMyzomela cardinalisby Mayr (1932:19) is, I think, justified.

Little information is available concerning the habits of the honeyeater at Kusaie. In 1931, Coultas (field notes) regarded the bird ascommon in the lowlands, especially in the coconut groves. He did not find the bird at high elevations on the island.

Myzomela rubratra dichromataWetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 220. (Type locality, Ponapé.)

Myzomela rubratraPelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, pp. 55, 162 (Puynipet = Ponapé); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 17, 26 (Ponapé);idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 778 (Ponapé); Forbes (part), Proc. Zool., Soc. London, 1879, p. 271 (Ponapé); Finsch (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 285 (Ponapé);idem(part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 575 (Ponapé);idem(part), Ibis, 1881, pp. 111, 115 (Ponapé);idem(part), Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 48 (Ponapé); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 31 (Ponapé); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 202 (Ponapi).

Myzomela rubrataNehrkorn (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1879, p. 397 (Ponapé); Christian, The Caroline Islands, 1899, p. 358 (Ponapé); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 55 Ponapé); Mayr, Proc. 6th Pacific Sci. Congr., 4, 1941, p. 204 (Ponapé).

Myzomela chermesinaGadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 137 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Ponapé).

Myzomela rubratra dichromataMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, pp. 15, 20, 21, 22 (Ponapé); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 73 (Ponapé); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 743 (Ponapé).

Myzomela rubratra rubratraYamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 395 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), rev., 1932, p. 172 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), 3d ed., 1942, p. 191 (Ponapé).

Myzomela cardinalis dichromataMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 Ponapé).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Ponapé.

Characters.—Adult male: Resembles adult males ofM. c. rubratra, but with more extensive black markings on lores and below eye; tips of feathers lighter "scarlet."

Adult female: Resembles adult female ofM. c. rubratra, but duller and with red coloring much reduced; head, neck, shoulder, ear-coverts, and sides of neck sooty brownish-gray; rest of upper parts dark brownish-gray with plumage of middle of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts tipped with scarlet; wings and tail dark brown with outer edges olivaceous-gray; chin and throat reddish; breast light brownish-gray, may be washed with reddish; axillaries, abdomen, and under tail-coverts grayish.

Immature male: Resembles adult male, but scarlet coloring less brilliant and thinner on forehead, middle of back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and underparts and absent, or nearly absent, on crown and neck.

Immature female: Resembles adult female, but scarlet coloring thinner and present only on underparts, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts; abdomen and under tail-coverts washed with buff.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 48.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 52 (26 males, 24 females, 2 unsexed), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Ponapé, 3 (Feb. 11, 12); AMNH—Ponapé, 49 (Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.—Yamashina (1932a:395) records a large collection of eggs of the honey-eater, taken at Ponapé in 1931. Of 13 sets of eggs listed, 10 include two eggs per set and 3 include one egg per set. These were obtained from July 20 to September 2. Coultas (field notes) found one nest with young in a tree-fern in the period of November and December, 1930. The nest was cup-shaped and made of fern and fine grasses and lined with lichens. Coultas writes that only the female feeds the young. He suspects that the honey-eater nests at all times of the year.

Molt.—Most of the birds taken by Coultas in November and December are in molting plumage.

Remarks.—The Cardinal Honey-eater at Ponapé is, according to Coultas, found in most habitats of the island. He found it to be an aggressive bird, often chasing the white-eyeZosterops cinerea. The committee (Hachisukaet al.) which prepared the Hand-list of Japanese Birds in both the revised edition (1932) and the third edition (1942) does not recognize the Ponapé honey-eater as separable from the bird at Kusaie. I see no reason for this action and find the bird at Ponapé to be a well-marked subspecies.

Myzomela majorBonaparte, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, 38, 1854, p. 264. (Type locality, "ex Ins. Carolinis ab Homb. et Jacq." = Truk.)

Myzomela majorGray, Hand-list Birds, 1, 1869, p. 153 (Caroline = Truk); Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 1875, p. 681 (Carolinae = Truk?); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Ruk); Kuroda, Dobutsu, Zasshi, 27, 1915, p. 28 (Ruk);idem, Dobutsu Zasshi, 28, 1916, p. 71 (Ruk).

Myzomela rubratraFinsch (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 575 (Ruk); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 253 (Ruk); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 31 (Ruk); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 202 (Ruk); Hartert (part), Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 56 (Ruk);idem(part), Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 2 (Ruk); Dubois (part), Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 714 (Carolines = Truk?).

Myzomela rubrataMatschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Ruck); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 55 (Ruk).

Myzomela rubratra rubrataWetmore (part), in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 221 (Uala).

Myzomela rubrata wetmoreiMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 15 (Type locality, Ruk); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 73 (Ruk); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 743 (Ruk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 172 (Truk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 190 (Truk).

Myzomela cardinalis majorMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 (Truk); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 72 (Truk).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Truk.

Characters.—Adult male: Resembles adult male ofM. c. rubrata, but tips of plumage lighter "scarlet."

Adult female: Resembles adult female ofM. c. rubrata, but underparts more heavily tipped with scarlet; abdomen and under tail-coverts black; tail slightly darker. Differs fromM. c. dichromataby presence of scarlet tips on feathers of head.

Immature male: Resembles adult female, but scarlet coloring of tips of feathers of head and neck narrower.

Immature female: Resembles immature female ofM. c. rubrata, but upper parts grayer; underparts darker.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 48.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 19 (13 males, 6 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Truk, 2 (Feb. 16, Dec. 13); AMNH—Truk, 17 (Feb., March, Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.—Concerning the honey-eater at Truk, Hartert (1900:2) writes "many nests were found from end of May to July, and one in March." McElroy examined three males in December, which had swollen testes. As seems to be the case with other races of this species, the Cardinal Honey-eater at Truk may nest at all times of the year.

Molt.—Specimens examined that were taken in November, December and February are in fresh or in molting plumages.

Remarks.—Bonaparte described hisMyzomela majoras "Similis praecedenti, sed major et percoccinea." He compares it here withMyzomela rubrata, which he considered as a resident of the Mariana Islands. According to Oustalet (1895:202) Hombron and Jacquinot obtained one specimen of the honey-eater at Truk in 1841. This subspecies, as well as most of the others ofM. cardinalisin Micronesia, is best distinguished by the characteristics of the female. The male of the different subspecies shows much less geographic variation.

Myzomela rubratra saffordiWetmore, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 30, 1917, p. 117. (Type locality, Guam.)

Cinnyris rubraterLesson (part), Dict. Sci. Nat., éd. Levrault, 50, 1827, p. 30 (Mariannes);idem(part), Voy. "La Coquille," Zool., 2, 1828, p. 678 (Mariannes);idem(part), Man. d'Ornith., 2, 1828, p. 55 (Mariannes);idem(part), Traité d'Ornith., 1831, p. 299 (Mariannes); Kittlitz (part), Kupfertaf. Naturgesch. Vögel, 1, 1832. p. 6, pl. 8, fig. 1 (Guaham);idem(part), Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, pp. 364, 381; 2, 1858, pp. 39, 49 (Guaham).

Certhia cardinalisKittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 304 (Guaham).

Myzomela rubraterHartlaub (part), Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 109 (Mariannen); Finsch and Hartlaub (part), Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 57 (Guaham).

Myzomela rubratraBonaparte, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, 38, 1854, p. 263 (Mariannes); Hartlaub (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 167 (Mariannen); Gray (part), Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 11 (Guam);idem(part), Handlist Birds, 1, 1869, p. 154 (Marian); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 17, 26 (Marianen); Forbes (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1879, p. 270 (Marianis); Giebel (part), Thes. Ornith., 2, 1875, p. 681 (Marinae); Finsch (part), Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 48 (Guam); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 31 (Marianne); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 197 (Guam, Rota, Saypan, Pagan, Agrigan); Hartert (part), Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 55 (Guam, Saipan, Pagan, Agrigan);idem(part), Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 2 (Guam); Wheeler, Report Island of Guam, 1900, p. 13 (Guam); Seale (part), Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 55 (Marianae); Safford, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 263 (Guam);idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 79 (Guam); Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 36, 1909, p. 477 (Guam); Reichenow (part), Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 482 (Marianen); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Marianas); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 21 (Guam).

Myzomela rubrataOustalet, Le Nat., 1889, p. 260 (Mariannes); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Guam, Saipan); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 69 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 101 (Saipan).

Myzomela rubratra saffordiWetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 221 (Guam, Saipan); Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, pp. 17, 20, 21, 22 (Guam, Rota, Saipan, Pagan, Agrigan); Kuroda in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 74 (Guam, Rota, Saipan, Pagan, Agrigan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 744 (Guam); Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 395 (Marianas?); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 171 (Marianas); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2. 1936, p. 25 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 190 (Guam, Rota, Agiguan, Tinian, Saipan, Almagan, Pagan, Agrigan, Assongsong).

Myzomela rubrata saffordiYamashina, Tori, 19, 1940, p. 673 (Assongsong, Agiguan).

Myzomela cardinalis saffordiMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 (Marianas); Downs, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 49, 1946, p. 103 (Tinian); Borror, Auk, 1947, p. 417 (Agrihan); Stott, Auk, 1947, p. 527 (Saipan, Guam); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 72 (Guam, Rota).

Myzomela cardinalisWatson, The Raven, 17, 1946, p. 41 (Guam); Strophlet, Auk, 1946, p. 540 (Guam); Baker, Condor, 49, 1947, p. 125 (Guam).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam, Rota, Tinian, Agiguan, Saipan, Almagan, Pagan, Agrihan, Asuncion.

Characters.—Adult male: ResemblesM. c. rubratra, but smaller with red coloring lighter and more orange; edges of wing and tail feathers olivaceous. Differs from adult males ofM. c. dichromataandM. c. majorby smaller size and presence of olivaceous edgings on wing and tail feathers.

Adult female: Resembles adult female ofM. c. rubratra, but smaller and paler with upper parts dark olivaceous-gray, sparsely mottled with scarlet; outer edges of wing and tail feathers greenish-olive; abdomen and under tail-coverts buffy-gray. Differs fromM. c. dichromataby smaller size and presence of scarlet tips of feathers on top of head. Differs fromM. c. majorby smaller size and presence of broad olivaceous edges on tail feathers.

Immature male: Resembles adult male, but red coloring less brilliant, upper parts, lower breast, and abdomen more narrowly edged with the red coloring; plumage of breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts buffy-gray, lighter in very young birds.

Table 49. Measurements of Adult Males ofMyzomela cardinalis saffordifrom the Mariana Islands

0_535

Immature female: Resembles adult female, but paler with upper parts darker brown; underparts pale buffy-brown; outer edges of wing and tail. feathers greenish-olive, more extensive than in adult.

Measurements.—Measurements of the subspecies ofM. cardinalisin Micronesia are listed intable 48. Measurements of male specimens ofM. c. saffordifrom various islands in the Marianas are listed intable 49.

Weights.—The author (1948:72) records weights ofM. c. saffordifrom Guam as: 17 adult males, 12.7-18.0 (15.0), and 5 adult females, 10.4-15.0 (12.7).

Specimens examined.—Total number, 80 (61 males, 17 females, 2 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Guam, 43 (Jan. 22, May 26, 30, June 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 18, 19, 25, 28, July 6, 10, 12, 17, 19, 20, 21, Sept., Nov. 20, 21)—Rota, 2 (Oct. 10)—Tinian, 3 (Oct. 23, 25)—Saipan 2 (Sept. 27, 30); AMNH—Guam, 23 (Jan. 22, 23, Feb. 5, 7, 9, 16, March 8, 10, 11, 13, 23, June 28, July 8, 21, Aug. 22, Nov. 25, Dec. 4, 11)—Tinian, 2 (Sept. 7, 14)—Saipan, 3 (July 8, Aug. 5, 22)—Asuncion, 1 (June)—Agrihan, 1 (June).

Nesting.—Seale (1901:55) obtained nests and eggs in the period from May to July at Guam. He found the nests 8 to 15 feet above the ground. Strophlet (1946:540) observed a pair of honey-eaters with two young on October 9 at Guam. In 1945 at Guam the NAMRU2 party obtained individuals with enlarged gonads on January 22, June 2, 5, July 21 and 23, and found evidence of nesting on June 16. Hartert (1898:56) writes that Owston's Japanese collectors obtained nests in January, February, and March. Each nest contained two eggs; they were placed four to eight feet from the ground. Probably the Cardinal Honey-eater in the Marianas nests at most times of the year.

Molt.—Specimens, with molting plumage, have been examined that were taken at most times of the year. I suspect that this bird molts at irregular intervals.

Food habits.—The honey-eater feeds partly on insect life and partly on nectar and juices from flowers. At Guam, the honey-eater was frequently found at flowers of the ink berry bush, where evidently both nectar and insects were obtained. The birds were attracted also to the coconut palms, especially when the reproductive parts of the palms were developing.

Remarks.—The Cardinal Honey-eater is one of the most conspicuous land birds in the Mariana Islands. Its scarlet plumage and characteristic fluttering flight cause it to stand out against its habitat of forest, scrub, and garden. At Guam, the author (1947b:124) found the honey-eater on 37.6 percent of the 125 roadside birds counts made in 1945. The species included 3.9 percent of all of the birds observed on these counts. Seale (1901:55) and Strophlet (1946:540) also commented on its abundance at Guam; however, in 1931, Coultas (field notes) wrote that the bird was rare; he obtained only one skin at Guam. At Rota, the NAMRU2 party found the honey-eater to be abundant. Coultas obtained only a few birds at Tinian and Saipan in 1931. In 1945, Downs (1946:103) saw only a single pair at Tinian; Gleise (1945:220) estimated the population at Tinian to be 12 in 1945. At Agrihan, Borror (1947:417) reported that the honey-eater was a common bird in 1945.

Table 49lists the measurements of males ofM. c. saffordifrom several islands in the Marianas. Measurements of birds from Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan are fairly similar, although the birds at Saipan seem to have a slightly longer wing than those at Guam. A single skin from Agrigan has larger measurements than those of birds obtained in the southern Marianas. Whether the birds in the northern Marianas are separable because of larger size can only be ascertained by the studying of more material from that region.

Mayr (1945a:102) writes that males ofM. cardinalisseem to outnumber the females by approximately four to one. On the basis of collections and field observations, the males were found to outnumber the females in the Micronesian islands; although the ratio may not be so great as four to one. At Guam, the NAMRU2 party obtained 21 males and 8 females. Although these birds are often seen as pairs (male and female), single males are frequently observed. The females do not appear to have more secretive habits than the males.

Myzomela rubratra kurodaiMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 17. (Type locality, Yap.)

Myzomela rubratraHartlaub and Finsch (part), Proc. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 94 (Uap); Gräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 2, 1873, p. 122 (Yap); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 4 (Yap); Forbes (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1879, p. 271 (Yap); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und. Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 31 (Uap); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 202 (Yap); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Yap); Kuroda, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 27, 1915, pp. 331, 332 (Yap).

Myzomela rubrataMatschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Yap).

Myzomela rubrata kurodaiKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 74 (Yap); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 743 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), rev., 1932, p. 172 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), 3d ed., 1942, p. 190 (Yap).

Myzomela cardinalis kurodaiMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 (Yap).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Yap.

Characters.—Adult male: According to Momiyama (1922:17),M. c. kurodaiis "Similar toM. r. saffordiWetmore from Southern Marianne islands, but the tarsus is decidedly shorter, not exceeding 21 mm. (more than 21 mm. inM. r. saffordi), and the colour of plumage is not so much tinged with vermillion. It differs fromM. r. rubratra,M. r. dichromata, andM. r. wetmoreiby the body measuring much shorter, and by the scarlet colour of plumage being less pronounced. The length of bill inM. r. wetmoreiandkurodaiis nearly the same."

Adult female: According to Momiyama (1922:17), "Upper-parts of body dark olivaceous brown; under-parts, including chin, throat and fore neck like upper-parts, but somewhat paler; breast and abdomen yellowish ashy-white; head, lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, chin, throat as well as lower breast tinged with scarlet (the red colour more distinct on lower back but less so on lower breast); pale olive margin to the outer web of flight-feathers."

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 48.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 2 males, from Caroline Islands, AMNH—Yap (Sept.).

Remarks.—This subspecies is tentatively recognized as distinct fromM. c. kobayashiiof Palau. No female has been examined, and the two males seen and the description by Momiyama indicate that the population at Yap closely resembles the one at Palau. The Hand-list of Japanese Birds (Hachisukaet al., 1932:172) places the birds from Yap and Palau in the same subspecies.

Myzomela rubratra kobayashiiMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 19. (Type locality, Pelew Islands.)

Cinnyris rubraterLesson (part), Dict. Sci. Nat., éd., Levrault, 50, 1827, p. 30 (Pelew);idem(part), Voy. "La Coquille," Zool., 1, 1828, p. 678 (Pelew);idem(part), Man. d'Ornith., 2, 1828, p. 55 (Pelew).

Myzomela rubratraGray (part), Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 11 (Pelew); Hartlaub (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 829 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 5, 116, 118 (Pelew); Gray (part), Hand-list Birds, 1, 1869, p. 154 (Pelew); Hartlaub and Finsch (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 94 (Pelew); Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 4, 16 (Palau);idem(part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 17, 26 (Palau); Forbes (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1879, p. 270 (Pelew); Finsch (part), Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 48 (Palau); Gadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 129 (Pelew); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 206 (Pelew); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 31 (Pelew); Oustalet (part), Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 202 (Palaos); Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers., 1899, p. 79 (Palau-inseln); Seale (part), Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 57 (Pelew); Reichenow (part), Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 482 (Palau); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Pelew).

Myzomela rubratraNehrkorn (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1879, p. 397 (Palau); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Palau); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 55 (Pelew); Kuroda, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 28, 1916, p. 71 (Pelew).

Myzomela rubratra kobayshiiKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 74 (Pelew); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 722 (Pelew).

Myzomela rubratra kurodaiHand-list Japanese Birds (part), rev., 1932, p. 172 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds (part), 3d ed., 1942, p. 190 (Babelthuap, Koror, Peleliu).

Myzomela rubratra kurodaiYamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 674 (Palau).

Myzomela cardinalis kobayashiiMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 299 (Palau); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 72 (Peleliu).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands;—Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu, Angaur.

Characters.—Adult male: ResemblesM. c. rubratra, but smaller and with red coloring darker, near "scarlet-red"; margins of wing feathers olivaceous. Differs from adult males of other subspecies ofM. cardinalisby red coloring of feathers being darker.

Adult female: Resembles adult female ofM. c. dichromatabut red coloring darker, top of head only partly red; abdomen, under tail-coverts, and axillaries buff-gray; outer edges of wing and tail feathers light olive. Differs from adult females of other subspecies ofM. cardinalisby having top of head only partly red.

Immature male: Resembles adult male, but red coloring lighter and thinly distributed; wings and tail brownish-olive; abdomen and under tail-coverts grayish.

Immature female: Resembles adult female, but red coloring paler and underparts more buffy and less grayish.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 48.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 42 (28 males, 11 females, 3 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Koror, 4 (Nov.)—Peleliu, 11 (Aug. 29, 30, 31, Sept. 1, 5); AMNH—exact locality not given, 27 (Oct., Nov., Dec.).

Molt.—Many of the specimens taken from late August to December are in molt. Of the adult males obtained during this period almost a half had enlarged testes.

Food habits.—Stomachs of specimens obtained by the NAMRU2 party in August and September, 1945, contained vegetable matter, seeds and small insects.

Remarks.—Honey-eaters were found by the NAMRU2 party in open woodlands, in coconut groves and about human habitations. They were not seen in dense jungle areas, and appeared to prefer the plantation areas.

The Cardinal Honey-eater at Palau is distinguished from other subspecies ofM. cardinalisin Micronesia by its deeper red coloring. In size, it closely resembles the bird at Yap and in the Marianas.

Evolutionary history of Myzomela cardinalis in Micronesia.—The genusMyzomelais found in Australia, northward to Timor, Tenimber, Moluccas, Celebes, Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. The range of the speciesM. cardinalisincludes the islands from the eastern Solomons, New Hebrides, and Loyalty Islands east to central Polynesia and north to Micronesia. It appears likely thatM. cardinaliswas derived, probably along withM. nigrita,M. lafargeiand others, from an ancestral stock in the Melanesian area. Within the speciesM. cardinalisthere is one group of subspecies which exhibits a marked degree of sexual dimorphism, with the males having a much greater amount of red coloration than the females. These subspecies occur in the southern part of the range of the species (Loyalty, Santa Cruz, New Hebrides, and Samoa islands). A second group of subspecies exhibit a lesser amount of sexual dimorphism, the females possessing more of the red coloration and resembling the males more closely. This second group includes subspecies which occur in the more northern part of the range of the species (Solomons, Micronesia, and Rotuma islands). Themales of the various subspecies ofM. cardinalisvary one from another considerably less than do the females.

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