Ni.srS AND hiiGS Oh AUSTRALIAN BIKOS. 425 



356. ACANTUOCH^UA INAUUIS, (jOllld. (330) 



YELLOW WATTLE BIRD. 



Figure. — Guuld : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv., pi. 54. 



Rcjcrcncc. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. ix., p. 263. 



Previous Descriptions oj liggs. — Gould: Birds of Australia, Hand- 

 book, vol. i., p. 537 (1865); North: Austn. Mus. Cat., p. .114 

 (18S9) ; Campbell : I'roc. .\ustn. Sue, vol. vii., p. 043 (itiyS). 



Geogrwphical Distribution. — Tasmania and King Island. 



yest. — Open, flat ; composed of moderately-sized twigs and grasses ; 

 lined with wool or other soft material ; usually situated in a low tliick 

 tree. Dimensions over all vary from 7 to 10 inches; depth about 

 3 inches. 



E<j(js. — Clutch, two to three ; lengthened m form ; tixtuie, fine ; 

 sm'face glossy ; colour, piukish-buft or salmou-tiut, moderately but 

 boldly marked with blotches and spots of reddi.sh-brown or chestnut 

 and dull pm'plish-grey, the majority of the markings being on or about 

 the apex. Dimensions in inches of odd examples : (1) 1'52 x -98, 

 (2) 1-4 X -9. 



Oh.M-rnitiiiii.^. — Though we made three excursions to the difi'ereut 

 groups of islands iii Bass Strait, I noticed this fine large Honeyeatcr on 

 King Island only ; Ihereforo, excepting that island, we may infer that the 

 larger Wattle Bird is found nowhere out of Tasmania. There is just 

 a possibihty that we may have missed it on Flinders — a large and 

 scrubby iskuid. The Tiijsmauian Wattle Bird is 18 inches in length, and 

 wears long (over an inch) yellowish wattles instead of the red of the 

 mainland bird. They weigh 5^ or 6 oimces each and are excellent 

 eating. 



Tliis Wattle Bii'd has a rcmai-kablc voice, wliich luis been compared 

 to that of a Bluc-beUied Lonikeet with a cold in its throat. 



Breeding mouths August to December. 



357. — AcANTHuciLERA MELLivoRA, Latham. — (332) 

 BRUSH WATTLE BIRD. 



Figure. — Gould: Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv., pi. 56. 



Keference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. ix., p. 264. 



Previous Descriptions oj Eggs. — Gould: Birds of Australia (184S) ; 



also Handbook, vol. i., p. 542 (1S65); North: Austn. Mus. 



Cat., p. 216, pi. 12, fig. 6 (1889) ; Campbell : Proc. Austn. 



Assoc, vol. vii., p. 644 (1S98). 



Gengrnphical Distribution. — North ( i) and South Queensland, New 

 South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. 



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