76 MELLOR — Regent Honey-eaters. 



April 30. — "Quite a number of these beautiful honey- 

 eaters was about, and they even came to the back door, and 

 drank from a bucket. They also came after insects in the fowls' 

 yard, there being no honey producing blossoms out. The 

 sweet warbling notes were very pleasing, and being very ven- 

 triloquial, it seemed that they were in quite another part of the 

 tree, or even in an adjoining one." 



May 1.— ^"I was greatly surprised on rising; early to find 

 that large numbers of the Regent Honey-eaters had arrived 

 and were sporting about in the trees right at the back door. 

 Before the sun rose, a large tree near by, contained num- 

 bers of them. In a short time, more and still more Hew into 

 the same tree, until it was literally alive with these 

 gems of the honey-eating family. There must have been 

 scores of them, all hopping about in the green foliage making 

 the small boughs shake all over the tree. The birds seemed 

 3S though they were having an early morning bath from the 

 damp leaves, and as the sun rose and shed its bright lighit 

 on the scene, it made a beautiful and gorgeous sight. The 

 brigbt yellow mixed with the black feathers of the birds 

 shone out like gold as the sun gradually mounted. Every- 

 thing seemed to sparkle, and it would be hard to find a more 

 handsome 'Si.ght than these glorious little birds [presented. I 

 went quite close to get the full view of the scene, but did nor 

 disturb their early morning meeting. 



The lon^ dry season in all probability was responsible 

 for the appearance of the birds, as I had not seen them down 

 here before, although they had been in the Mount Lofty 

 tianges in i)revious seasons, notably at Blackwood, but I think 

 even there they could not have been so numerous as they have 

 been at Lockleys to-day.'' 



May 2. — "Regent Honey-eaters still numerous, and several 

 come to di-ink at the tap at the back door, quite lame and 

 confiding." 



May 3. — "Birds still numerous in the trees." 



May 4. — "Regent honey-eaters about, but very scarce." 



May 5. — Only saw one. the birds having tsoue as quickly as 

 they came." 



May n. — "Not a trace of the Regent honey-eaters left. 

 They seem to have stayed only with us during their visit, for 

 although I kept a sharp lookout for them elsewhere, in all 

 likely places, I saw no sign of them." 



