TNSESSORES. 509 



Honey-eaters with which I am acquainted, particularly in 

 the character of the material forming the lining ; it is the 

 largest and warmest of the whole, and is usually formed of 

 ribbons of stringy bark, mixed with grass and the cocoons of 

 spiders ; towards the cavity it is more neatly built, and is 

 lined internally with opossum or kangaroo fur ; in some 

 instances the hair-like material at the base of the large leaf- 

 stalks of the tree-fern is employed for the lining, and in 

 others there is merely a flooring of wiry grasses and fine 

 twigs. The eggs, which are either two or three in number, 

 are of the most delicate fleshy buff, rather strongly but thinly 

 spotted with small, roundish, prominent dots of chestnut-red, 

 intermingled with which are a few indistinct dots of purplish 

 grey ; their average length is eleven lines, and breadth eight 

 lines. 



The only external difference in the sexes is the smaller size 

 of the female, which is nearly a third less than that of the 

 male. 



Lores and cheeks black ; crown of the head, ear-coverts, 

 breast, and under surface dark grey, with silvery reflexions ; 

 a few of the ear-coverts tipped with yellow ; chin and upper 

 part of the throat rich gamboge-yellow ; all the upper surface, 

 wings, and tail rich yellowish olive, brightest on the margins 

 of the quill- and tail-feathers; inner webs of the primaries 

 and secondaries dark brown ; under surface of the shoulder 

 and wing gamboge-yellow ; abdomen and flanks washed with 

 olive ; bill black ; interior of the bill, throat, and tongue rich 

 orange ; irides wood-brown ; legs and feet brownish lead- 

 colour. 



Total length 8 inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4 J ; tail 4^ ; tarsi 1. 



The young birds assume the adult colouring from the time 

 they leave the nest. 



