Notes on the Varied Honey-eater (Ptilotis versicolor, Gould)
Abstract
The Varied Honey-eater was described by Gould in 1842 from a single specimen contained in a collection of bird skins from Northern Australia, and was for many years regarded as a rare species. It is an inhabitant of the coastal districts and adjacent islands of Northern and North-eastern Queensland and Southern New Guinea, and is also found on some of the intermediate islands of Torres Strait. Off the coast of North-eastern Queensland, MacGillivray obt!ained this species on Dunk Island, and Elsey on Albany Island. Many specimens were procured by the "Chevert" Expedition, fitted out by the late Sir William Macleay, since when it has been obtained by various collectors both in New Guinea and Australia.
