MYZANTHA LUTEA,Gould.Luteous Honey-eater.
Myzantha lutea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 134.
I consider this to be by far the finest species of the genus yet discovered, exceeding as it does every other both in size and in the brilliancy of its colouring. I am indebted to Messrs. Bynoe and Dring for fine specimens of this beautiful bird, which were obtained by those gentlemen on the north-west coast of Australia, in which part of the country it supplies the place of theMyzantha garrulaof New South Wales. The law of representation is rarely carried out in a more beautiful manner, even in the ornithology of Australia, than in the members of the present genus; theMyzantha garrulabeing, so far as is yet known, confined to the south-eastern portion of the country, theM. luteato the neighbourhood of the north coast, theMyzantha obscurato Swan River on the western coast, and theM. flavigulato the north-eastern portion of the country.
Naked space behind the eye, forehead and the tips of several feathers on the sides of the neck, fine citron-yellow; lores blackish brown with silvery reflexions; upper surface grey, the feathers of the back of the neck and back crossed near the tip with white; rump, upper tail-coverts and under surface white; throat and chest tinged with grey, each feather crossed by an arrow-shaped mark of brown; wings and tail brown, the external margins of the feathers dull citron-yellow; tail tipped with white; bill fine citron-yellow; feet yellowish brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.