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bottom to top, entering, culling to her, and then making little 

 endearing noises. However, by an accident in cleaning, the nest 

 was knocked down and damaged, and so ended that attempt. 

 Before long he built a similar nest, and soon the hen laid but 

 looked very sick ; the second day she laid a soft shelled egg and 

 died. After much calling for her I gave him a piece of looking 

 glass, and he spent the greater part of his time against it. 



I do not know if it has been generally noticed, but I have 

 found that invariably the cock Orange-cheek has a decidedly 

 yellowish tinge at the vent ; the hen being pale grey. 



Some "Recent Hcciuisitions. 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., M.B.N.H.S 



Silvery-crowned Friar Birds {Philemon argenticeps) : 

 Last April Messrs. Payne and Wallace imported of the Australian 

 Honey-eaters four of this species and one or more Dusky Mynah 

 or Obscure Honey-eater. Of these, the four Friar Birds and 

 a Dusky Mynah have come into my possession. These speci- 

 mens I believe to be not merely the first imported, but the only 

 living specimens in Europe. The Friar Birds are at present at 

 the Zoo — one pair presented and one pair on deposit — where 

 they appear to be doing well ; the\' are already much improved 

 in appearance and appear to be thriving on their diet of milk 

 sop, banana, soft food and mealworms. This species is one of 

 the least beautiful of the five species enumerated by Gould in' 

 his "Birds of Australia," viz., The Common, Helmeted, Silvery- 

 crowned, Yellow-throated, and Sordid ; all of which he places m 

 the genus Tropidorhynchus. 



" For the first knowledge of this species of Tropidorhynchus, science is indebted to the late 

 "" Mr. Bynoe, Surgeon of H.M. Surveying ship, " Beagle," who, on my visiting- Sydney, 

 "placed his specimens at my disposal ; after my return other examples were sent to me 

 " by Sir George Grey. Bynoe's specimens were all obtained during the survey of the 

 " north-west coast, a portion of Australia, the natural productions of which are but 

 " little known ; and Sir George Grey's during his expedition into the interior, from the 



" same coast Of its habits and economy nothing is known ; but as it is very nearly 



" allied to the Common Friar Bird (T. conric'ulaius), we may reasonably conclude that 

 " they are very similar. Description : Crown of the head silvery-grey ; the remainder of 

 "the head naked, and of a blackish brown; throat and all the under surface white; 

 " back, wing, and tail brown; bill and feet blackish brown. Total length ioj inches: 

 " bill if: wing 5J; tail 4I ; tarsi ij (Gould's Birds of Australia, Vol. I. ." 



