508 Messrs. E. L. & E. L. C. Layard on the 



feathers on the breast ; we have shot thcra thus early in De- 

 cember, but their nesting is unknown to us. 



20. ZosTEROPS XANTH0CHR0A_, G. R. Gray. 



21. ZosTEROPs GRisEONOTA, G. R. Gray. 



In habits of life and nesting these two " White-eyes " re- 

 semble each other, and are frequently found in company. 

 They frequent our fruit-orchards and gardens equally with 

 the forest or open kyoulie-glades, and are said to be very 

 destructive to fruit-blossoms ; but we question whether this is 

 really true, and sometimes think their visits to our fruit-trees 

 are for the purpose of feeding on "the worm i'the bud/' that 

 is the real destroyer of our promise of fruit. Certes we have 

 generally found their stomachs full of insects at such times ; 

 but when the soft berry of the Lantana is ripe, this is their 

 favourite food, and here they really do much mischief, dis- 

 tributing the seed over great areas. 



They usually make their nests in the fork of some small 

 branches. It is a beautiful structure, composed of soft 

 rootlets, hair, feathers, cobweb, &c., about 2\ inches in 

 diameter by 2 inches deep. The eggs, two to four in number, 

 of a lovely pure turquoise-blue, unspotted in any way. Axis 

 7V"j diam. 6'". These birds usually breed from August to 

 October. We fancy they are double-brooded ; but this 

 depends on the character of the season. We fancy the eggs 

 of the two species differ slightly in the intensity of the blue. 



22. Gerygone flavolateralis, G. R. Gray. 



This little dull-coloured bird is pretty abundant over all 

 parts of the island that we have visited, but escapes observa- 

 tion from its minuteness and shy and retiring habits. It is 

 usually found in pairs, male and female together, and for a 

 short period after nesting is often accompanied by its off- 

 spring, usually two in number. It creeps about trees and 

 bushes (never descending to the ground) in search of minute 

 insects, which it captures on the bark, on the branches, and 

 on the undersides of leaves. We have seen it in thick forest, 

 in gardens, and in the " niaoulie " bush. In this latter tree 

 it usually breeds (though we have found it in thick Casuarina 



