^"'■^'1 SvLLiv AN, Some Mallec Btyds. US 



Sunday iiini mni; ilawiu'd somcwliat brij^ditcr. and I tlirt:w off 

 my l)Iaiikt'ls with a (k'tcMininatiou to defer a relreat at least till 

 I had found out what birds had awakened me. There seemed to 

 be several different kinds, and, though each cry suggested some 

 familiar bird call, I was at a loss to properly recognize any. At 

 times a Pallid ("uckoo seemed to start and stoj) short ; then a 

 Red Wattle-Bird gave a feeble call, then a Babbler was heard and 

 answered by a confusion of gurgling chortles. On going out I 

 found that all these sounds came from one small white gum. 

 I came closer to the tree, and there had a view of a beautifully- 

 l)lumaged Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater {Acanthogenys rnfigiilaris). 

 " A bird of many notes," says my handbook, and well it may. 

 For the whole six months a friend and I have been tracing fresh 

 sounds to this bird. Its notes vary from the harsh cry of the 

 Red Wattle-Bird to a sweet, sustained trill. 



I was already interested in my new surroundings, but my 

 feelings may be imagined when an old friend, whom I had known 

 since I was six, whistled to me from the pines. By his appear- 

 ance, the mallee or the season hardly suited him. His gay vest 

 was shabby, his white shirt-front was so soiled that it could hardly 

 be distinguished from the black binding on his vest collar. He 

 complained about being called a Thickhead, but evidently cared 

 little, for he finished with the merriest dash of song and left 

 Though 1 heard these birds [Pachycephala rufivcntris) occasionally 

 all through the winter, it was not till August that their delightful 

 song was regularly heard and their plumage was at its best. 



It was not long before I discovered that interesting bird-life 

 existed in every chain of mallee, and spring turned the place into 

 an aviary. Besides the Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater, the following 

 could always be found • — New Holland Honey-eater {Mclioniis 

 novce -holla ndice). White-plumed Honey-eater {Ptilotis penicillala). 

 Short-billed Honey-eater [MelUhreptus brevirostris). White-eared 

 Honey-eater {Ptilotis leucotis), Tawny-crowned Honey-eater (Glv- 

 cyphila melanops). I saw one Yellow-plumed Honey-eater {Ptilotis 

 ornata), and, though the Red Wattle-Birds {Anthochcera caritn- 

 ciilata) were at first rare, they appeared in large numbers in the 

 spring. It is remarkable how the short bill of Melithreptus brevi- 

 rostris takes from him the whole characteristic shape of the 

 Honey-eaters. As this bird hops and dives about the mallee 

 bushes in search of blight and larvse hidden under bark, it might 

 easily be taken for a Tit. The White-eared and Tawny-crowned 

 Honey-eaters seemed to be confined to an area around Antwerp. 

 In this district the birds could always be found, but I saw no signs 

 of them outside 3 miles from the railway siding. The former is 

 the most pert of his family that I have seen, and his sharp, short, 

 ringing " Choo." repeated several times, seems to warn intruders 

 that he is satisfied to be alone. The Tawny-crowned generally 

 frequented the 0})en country, j)articularly where the mallee shoots 

 were a few inches above the stubble. This bird's long beak and 

 beautifully-marked, slender body surely give it a high place for 



