356 NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



The bii-ds show a preference for open forest country where the 

 timber is small. About tliirty miles inland from Cooktown, Mr. Le 

 Souef himself noticed a few pairs, which attracted his attention by 

 their pleasing twittering calls. 



Mr. Keartland writes : - — " At the well near ovir camp on the tele- 

 graph line, near the Fitzroy River, these pretty little birds were 

 occasionally seen and specimens obtained. They were also found in 

 considerable numbers at Derby in May, where the blossom afforded 

 them an abundant supply of food. Tliough tlie adult males arc 

 decidedly black and white, several of those shot appeared to be imma- 

 ture, and hatl old brown feathers dispersed through the black. I have 

 reason to believe that the young of both sexes are plain dark-brown 

 above, and pale brown or dirty white beneath. What appeared to be 

 adult females coiTesponded in plumage to the young ones. A deserted 

 nest of tliis species bore a strong resemblance to that of M. nigra, 

 but was lined with a few bits of horse hair." 



295. — Myzomela obscura, Gould. — (345) 

 DUSKY HONEYEATER. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv., p!. 67. 



Re/emicc. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. ix., p. 143. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs.- Le Souef : Ibis, p. 313 (1896) ; also Victorian 



Naturalist, fig. (1896); Campbell: Proc. Austn. Assoc, vol. vii., 



p. 582 (1898).' 



Geographical Dixtrihutiun. — Northern Territory and Queensland, 

 also New Guinea. 



Nest. — Cup-shaped, small, frail; composed of line brownish rootlets; 

 inside lined with long hair. Dimensions over all, 2| inches by 2 inches 

 in depth; egg ca-vity, H inches across by 1?, inches deep. 



Eggs. — Clutch, two usually ; roimd oval in fonn ; textiu-e fine ; 

 surface slightly glossy ; colour, warm-white, spotted, chiefly round the 

 upper quarter, with reddish-brown or chestnut and purplish-grey. 

 Dimensions of a clutch in inches : (1) -66 x -5. (2) -62 x -5. (Plate 13.) 



Observation.^. — Tliis obscure-coloured Honeyeater would also appear 

 to be an obsciu-e species. It is confined to Northern Australia. On the 

 13th August, 1885, on Hinchinbrook Island, Northern Queensland, 

 I foimd a nest of this species being built in the mangi-oves, but, unfor- 

 tunately, I had to leave that interesting collecting gi-ound before the 

 nest was completed. 



Mr. Dudley Le Souef states a nest of the Dusky Honeygater was 

 found on 23rd October, 1893, duiing his visit to Mr. Hislop, Bloomfield 

 River district. Tlie nest was well shaded by foliage neai- the top of 

 an ironwood (Eucnhipfus) tree, about thirty feet from the groimd. 

 One of the parents was seciu-ed. 



