YELLOW ROBIN, HONEYEATERS AND OTHERS 



on this occasion, too, when our knowledge of certain species 

 was not as extensive as it is now. We were on the track 

 of the Whip Bird, of which bird it was our first experience. 

 When we discovered two young birds of greenish plumage, 

 and having a white patch over each ear, our excitement was 

 intense. Our experience of the Whip Bird, we felt certain, 

 was about to commence in earnest. After a long struggle 

 through dense undergrowth, the young birds were captured, 

 tethered, and invited to squeak. This they did with 

 emphasis. Two large Honeyeaters of the species 

 described then put in an appearance and indulged in 

 sufficient excited protests to convince us that the tethered 

 ones were their own especial property. 



We recognised the joke against ourselves, and laughed 

 heartily. However, we considered the Honeyeaters worthy 

 subjects, and spent the remainder of the day in a futile 

 attempt to impress their likeness upon a plate. 



There is scarcely a creek-side scrub known to us which 

 is not the home of one or more of the Whistler family. 

 There are two common species to be found in this portion of 

 Australia, and for a long time they laboured under the 

 official title of Thickhead. This name was not intended 

 as an indication of any lack of intelligence on the part of 

 the birds, but such an ill-chosen designation undoubtedly 

 conveyed that idea. Fortunately, that is all now changed, 

 and the Yellow-breasted and Rufous-breasted Whistler 

 bear names which are appropriate and well-merited. There 

 are few more able songsters in our bush, and their clear 

 rich whistle is well-known to all lovers of the wild. 



Both the Yellow-breasted and the Rufous-breasted are 

 handsome birds, the males especially. Unfortunately we 

 have no good pictures of the male of either species, and we 

 must reply on our powers of description. The male Yellow- 

 breasted has a striking plumage ; the back, wings, and 

 head are of a dark slaty grey colour. The whiteness of the 

 throat is divided from a breast of bright yellow by a narrow 

 band of black. The female is a soberly coloured bird of 

 uniform grey colour. Somewhat of its appearance will be 

 gathered from the picture reproduced. 



The male Rufous-breasted is exactly similar to the male 

 of the Yellow species, except that the bright yellow of the 

 breast is replaced by a less conspicuous rufous colour. The 

 female of this species also differs slightly from that of the 



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