Vol. xt.i Kli:tchicr, Haney-eatevs of Cleveland District, Tas. 107 



Oil one occasion a Pallid ("uckoo's {Cucidus pallidus) egg was 

 l)lacc(l in the nest jnst prior to the Honey-eater's eggs hatching, 

 and on another after the first egg was laid. 



I liave watched the male bird feeding his sitting mate. He 

 called to her as he apjiroached , she answered with a purring 

 sound, hopped on to a twig near the nest, received the food he 

 brought, and returned to her charge, while he flew away. 



When one bird is sitting the other keeps near the locality, and 

 by its frequent and excited callings gives a good idea as to the 

 whereabouts of its nest. They are close sitters, but, owing to 

 the open and careless situations in which the little home is fre- 

 quently placed, these birds suffer severely from predatory enemies. 



Crescent Honey-eater [Meliornis aitstralasiana\ — Also plentiful, 

 in situations similar to the preceding birds. Most of the Crescents' 

 nests I found were placed in centre of sword-grass clumps in a 

 damp locality. Two nests I found on loth October, 1909, were 

 quite close to one another, and near, in other tussocks, were the 

 ruins of the last year's homes. From the first nest the female 

 flew, then fluttered on the ground, apparently in great distress. 

 1 left her and examined the cradle she had left. It contained a 

 chipped egg and two recently-hatched young — blind, and naked 

 except for tufts of greyish down on top of head, tips of wings, 

 and on the abdomen. ^^''hen the female bird saw her efforts 

 were in vain, she, to my great astonishment, picked up, or, rather, 

 snapped up, a minute fly, and returned to the nest, giving the 

 morsel to one of the little ones, then covered them. And all the 

 while my sister and I were standing by the clump. 



A yard or two away I found another nest containing three 

 young covered with down and with their wing feathers showing. 

 Their parents were away, and did not return while their young 

 were being inspected. 



White-bearded Honey-eater (Meliornis novce-Jwllandice). — These 

 lively and entertainmg bu'ds were particularly fond of one 

 locality — a range of low. rocky hills, sparsely covered near their 

 summits with sheoaks {Casuarina) and black wattle [Acacia), 

 while around their bases grew a tangle of banksia and saplings, 

 the ground underneath being hidden by bracken. 



The chief nesting-sites of the White-bearded Honey-eaters were 

 among the silky foliage of the sheoaks, but the banksia and 

 mimosa were also chosen. Though their nests are generally hard 

 to detect, they nevertheless constantly have them robbed or 

 destroyed by other birds. 



Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus ienuirostris). — These charming little 

 buds often visited the flower gardens in the township in search 

 of honey, but I seldom came across them in the bush. In fact, 

 it was only in the hills mentioned in previous paragrajih that I 

 saw them, and once, on 9th November, 1908, I noticed a nest 

 containing two eggs. 



