MELIPHAGID.E. 115 



may be seen motionless upon tlie topmost dead or 

 bare bouglis, uttering a loud wliistling note, whicli 

 at once betrays their locality. 



The Limated Honey-feeder [Mdithreptus lunatus), 

 distinguished from the preceding Honey-eaters by the 

 possession of a stronger and more conical bill, is abundant 

 in many parts of the Australian continent. The nest of 

 this bird is usually attached to the slender twigs which 

 grow^ at the top of the prodigious Eucalypti, and at this 

 great height it is only discernible to an experienced 

 observer. The fabric is ingeniously constructed of the 

 inner rind or '• liber "of the "stringy-bark," and other 

 gum-trees, a material resembling the "bass" used by 

 'gardeners. The hair of various animals is mixed with 

 the bark ; and since sheep have been introduced into 

 Australia, the bird has availed itself of their wool, 

 finding that it can be worked well into the side, and 

 seems to bind the walls firmly together. As the nest is 

 always hung by the rim to the twigs, strength of sub- 

 stance is an absolute necessity ; so that the toughness of 

 fibre, and the felting property of the wool, make it a 

 most valuable addition to the building material employed. 

 For the lining of the nest, the Lunated Honey-eater 

 uses the fur of the Phalanger, which has the advantage of 

 being veiy soft, very warm, of retaining its elasticity, 

 and of not adhering to the claws of the inmates, as would 

 be the case with wool. 



The typical form is the White-throated Honey- 

 feeder {MelithrpjHus gularis). 



