go Le Souef and Macpherson, The Birds of Sydney. [ 



Kmu 

 U Oct. 



evening about sundown. Twice they started off, only to be 

 recalled by the waverers for further argument ; for the third time 

 the flock moved off, and got away about loo yards, when with many 

 shrill cries about one-third of them returned, but the main body 

 kept on towards the north. 



The Mistletoe-Bir4 {Dicaum hirundinaceum) is a friendly little 

 being and not much disturbed by human presence. The sharp 

 whistle is frequently heard in trees bearing the food plant 

 (Loranthus). At the end of February a male took up its quarters 

 during the moulting period in a small patch of melaleuca and 

 casuarina scrub, where there was no mistletoe, and must ha\e 

 maintained itself for a week at least on insects. 



Spotted Pardalote {Pardalotus pundatus). — ^This is one of the 

 most numerous of the wild birds where there are any eucatyptus 

 or angophora trees about. Their single, double, or treble whistle 

 is often heard ; generally the male and female will answer each 

 other, but sometimes a male bird will perch high up on a bare 

 bough and whistle away, giving all the usual notes, for some 

 minutes on end. A pair endeavoured to make a nesting-burrow 

 in one of the monkey enclosures in Taronga Park in 1919. 



The pretty httle White-naped Honey-eater {Melithreptus 

 lunulatus) is often seen among the eucalypts in the parks, usually 

 betraying its presence by its single plaintive whistle. 



Brown-headed Honey-eater {Melithreptus brevirostris). — This 

 species is rather numerous in Taronga Park, where a combination 

 of eucalyptus and fiower-beds is much to its liking. It is very 

 happy when the cannas are in flower, and bores holes at the base 

 of the blossom to extract the nectar. These birds are very tame, 

 and usually go about in small flocks, and have a chuckling note. 



The brightest of the Honey-eaters, the Sanguineous Honey-eater 

 {Myzornela sanguineolenta), arrives from the north in numbers in 

 September, and a few take up their quarters in the city parks. 

 The male bird is very conspicuous, and whistles constantly, but 

 the female is not so often seen. About the middle of the season 

 they become quiet, and this year a small flock was seen on its 

 way north again in February. 



Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris). — This active bird is a 

 resident, numerous in our gardens, but more especially those 

 in the vicinity of the parks. It is often seen flitting about the 

 flower-beds, taking nectar from the flowers and chasing insects. 

 The wings move very rapidly in flight, and make a " Thirup " 

 sound. 



Yellow-faced Honey-eater {Ptilotis chrysops). — ^The " Chickup " 

 is numerous in Sydney wherever there are eucalyptus trees, but 

 it sometimes invades the flower-beds. It takes the place of the 

 " Greenie " {P. penicillata), so common round Melbourne. 



Yellow-tufted Honey-eater [Ptilotis anriconiis). — The Yellow- 

 tuft, or, as it is often called, the " Whiskey," is common in some 

 of the outlying suburbs, where they sometimes attack soft fruits 

 in the summer, though they feed largely on insects for the most 



