Gould states the sexes present little or no difference in external 

 appearance, but that the female is smaller and more slender than the male. 

 He also states that it displays great activity, darting from branch to 

 branch, indulging in an irregular and uneven flight, uttering the while a 

 rather pretty song. 



BLUE-FACED HONEYEATER {Entomy-a cyanotis): This to my 

 mind is almost the pick of the consignment, being truly gorgeous, with a 

 fine contour equally as elegant as their plumage. On my first visit they 

 were caged, so that I was able to make fairly complete notes of their beau- 

 tiful plumage, and on my next visit, a week later, they were at liberty in 

 the Western Aviary and I was able to observe the bounding and rapid flight, 

 though the supposed hen unfortunately was weak on the legs and did not 

 indulge to the same extent as her mate. They are fully twelve inches in 

 length and certainly must be numbered amongst the most elegant and 

 beautiful birds I have seen. 



Male : Top of head and back of neck black, eye region rich blue, 

 with a greenish sheen above the eye, a crescentic mask on the occiput and 

 a line passing down each side of the neck white; lower part of face dark 

 slate colour; under surface white ; upper surface, including wing and tail 

 rich golden-olive, the tail feathers are tipped with white and have their 

 inner webs brown ; bill bluish grey, darker at the tip, legs and feet bluish 

 grey. 



The supposed female corresponds with Gould's description of the 

 young in immature plumage, so I refrain from giving the description of the 

 bird at present. Gould states the sexes are alike. I had better quote 

 him : — 



"The sexes differ in no respect from each other either in the colouring of the plumage 

 " or in the blended richness and delicacy of the blue surrounding the eye, to which it is 

 "almost impossible for the artist to do justice." 



GARRULOUS HONEYEATER [Matwrhina garmla). This species 

 has appeared at the Zoo before. It is somewhat similar to the Sombre Honey- 

 eater described in the June issue of Bird Notes, but is a little larger and has 

 more black on the head and face. Briefly the upper surface is greyish-brown, 

 with the feathers at the back of the neck tipped with silvery grey ; the 

 under surface is grey with the feathers margined with lighter grey; crown 

 of the head, ear coverts and facial stripe glossy black ; tail feathers tipped 

 with white, and the bases of the outer margin of the wing feathers yellow ; 

 naked space below eye, bill, legs and feet yellow. This is a handsome if 

 rather noisy species, and its deportment in the Western Aviary is an exact 

 replica of that given in the notes on the Sombre Houeyeater in our last 

 issue. 



Space will not permit further description of this handsome and 

 interesting group of birds, though size and richness of plumage varies con- 

 siderably. So far, from the very limited opportunity I have had of studying 



