1G6 



MKLIPHAGID.E. 



three of these will often rout a flock of Blue-bellied Parrots, with which they are often engaged. 

 For the above information I am indebted to Air. Lambert." 



In New South Wales it is common in the coastal districts, its range e.xtending inland to 

 the Blue Mountains. Although it frequents, and sometimes breeds in the neighbourhood of 

 Sydney it is far less numerous than Anthochcera carnnculata. Gould states that at the time when 

 he was in Sydney, the Botanic Gardens was visited by large numbers of these birds, and that 

 two nests were taken with eggs from shrubs growing in the borders. It is now, however, a thing 

 of the past, for during a twenty years residence I have never seen one of these birds in any of 

 the public parks or gardens in the city. Specimens may be obtained at Hornsby, French's 

 Forest, Middle Harbour and Manly, but it is more numerous in the Banksia scrubs about Port 

 Hacking and National Park. I met with it still more abundantly distributed both in the Upper 

 Clarence District, and near the Crooked River in the Illawarra District. In November 1884, 

 I found it breeding freely at Hastings, Western Port, \'ictoria. 



It utters a succession of harsh and guttural notes, which it would be difficult to convey any 

 idea of, but when once heard, they could not easily be confounded with those of any other species. 

 Caley, who lived at Parramatta in the early days of settlement in New South Wales, and who 

 made the greater part of the collection of Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society 

 of London, ^'^ informed Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield that he called this species "Cookaycock," 

 from its uttering a sound like that word." 



From Copmanhurst, on the Upper Clarence River, Mr. George Savidge writes me : — 

 "Ancllohia mcllivora is fairly numerous here, wherever 'Honeysuckles' (Banksia) are found. It is 

 fond of building in trees overhanging the river, and although I have found nests with two eggs, 

 many others contained but a single egg, sometimes incubated: or a young bird. They are early 

 breeders, and I have taken eggs in August, September, October and November." 



Dr. W. Macgillivray when resident at Hamilton in the Western District, Victoria, wrote 

 me as follows: — "AcanthochcBra mellivora is much the commoner of the Wattle-birds, a pair made 

 a prolonged stay in a gum tree opposite my house whence their harsh and discordant voices 

 could be heard at all times. When on a visit to Portland on the 12th of November, I found a 

 nest of this species in a low overhanging gum in a thickly timbered paddock. The nest which 

 was not much larger than a Rufous-breasted Thickhead's was composed of fine twigs lined with 

 soft bark, and contained two fresh eggs. It was only about three feet from the ground." 



From Tasmania Mr. R. N. Atkinson sends the following note: — "I found a pair oi AneUobia 

 mellivora breeding at Evandale, on the 12th November, 1903. The nest, a cup-shaped structure, 

 built of twigs and sparingly lined at the bottom with a few pieces of sheep's wool, was built in 

 the top of a Pine about thirty feet from the ground and contained two slightly incubated eggs. 

 My uncle, the Rev. H. D. Atkinson, found a nest on the 2nd October, 1891, in a tea-tree at 

 Evandale, containing one young bird." 



The nest is a deep saucer-shaped structure, outwardly formed of very fine twigs and lined 

 inside with shreds of red stringy-bark; in some I have found cow-hair intermingled with it, in 

 others the red fluffy-down off Banksia cones. An average nest measures externally five inches in 

 diameter by two inches and three-quarters in depth, and internally three inches in diameter by 

 one inch and a half in depth. The forked branches of gum saplings, tea-trees and " Honey- 

 suckles" (Banksia) are favourite nesting sites, and all I have seen, both in \'ictoriaand New South 

 Wales were built low down, generally about six feet, some lower, and none higher than twelve 

 feet. One I found at Gerringong, New South Wales, on the 13th October, 1889, built about 

 three feet from the ground in a tea-tree close to the beach, the sitting bird was unusually reluctant 

 to leave, and after almost lifting it off discovered two slightly chipped eggs. 



• Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 322 (1S26). 



