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Show 276 MR. W. A. FORBES ON THE GENUS MYZOMELA. [MAR. 4, MYZOMELA PUSILLA. Le Kuyameta, Vieill. Ois. Dor. ii. p. 92, t. 58 (1802). (Certhia cardinalis, Gm. in text.) Myzomela pusilla, G. R. Gray, B. Trop. Isl. p. 10 (1859). M. cardinalis, pt., F. & H. Orn. Centralpolyn. p. 57 (nota). This extremely doubtful species was founded by Gray on a drawing (from a bird once in the Leverian Museum) in Vieillot's " Oiseaux Dore's." This plate, as well as the description, indicates a black-and-red Myzomela, like M. cardinalis or M. rubratra, but smaller (3\ inches in length), and with the abdomen, vent, &c. entirely red, only the wings, tail, and an anteocular spot being black. In the letterpress the bird is named Certhia cardinalis of Gmelin; and the habitat assigned is " New Holland and Isle of Tanna," evidently copied from Latham's account of the last-named species. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. The genus Myzomela has rather a wide range, from Celebes on the west, to the Fiji and Samoan Islands on the east, and from Guam, in the Marianne group (in 13° N.) to S. Australia and Victoria (in 38° S.), but is strictly confined to the Australian region, in three out of the 5 subregions of which it occurs, being absent in New Zealand and in the Sandwich Islands. The Papuan subregion is, as might naturally be expected, the richest in species, having 16, of which no less than 14 are peculiar. Australia proper has 5 species, of which three are peculiar, two occur-ing also in the Papuan subregion. In the Pacific subregion 7 species occur, of which all are peculiar. Celebes has one species peculiar to itself (M. chloroptera), as likewise have Banda and Timor (M. boicei and 31. vulnerata respectively). The Halmahera group (Gilolo, Batchian, Morty, Ternate, &c.) have one (M. simplex), which on Obi is replaced by 31. rubrotincta. Curiously enough, the genus, as far as we yet know, is absent from the Sula Islands, from the Ceram group, and from the islands between Timor and the Arus, though represented in all the islands around this area, and even in the little island of Banda. In the western half of New Guinea six species occur, of which M. adolphincc is peculiar to the Arfak country. 31. rosenbergi reoccurs in the mountains of southern New Guinea ; and 31. cruentata apparently extends to New Ireland. 31. nigrita occurs on the mainland, as well as in Jobi and Miosnom (where it is the only species), and in the Aru Islands. Mysol, Waigiou, and Salwatti have only 31. eques, which also occurs on the mainland both in the N.W. peninsula and on the south coast. 31. obscura occurs both in S.W. and S.E. New Guinea, and also in N. Australia. Mysore is tenanted by a single peculiar species (31. rubrobrunnea) ; whilst the Aru Islands have two species, neither peculiar, one (31. erythrocephala) occurring in N. Australia and S. New Guinea, if specimens from all these three localities are really identical. New Guinea east of 140° |