on the nesting-habits of the mistletoe-bird. 175


Loranthus seeds evidently passed through the system of the young

birds very quickly, and were unharmed.


As the birds had become so trustful, we thought that it would

be a pity to leave without taking some pictures which would illus¬

trate how accustomed even shy birds will in time become to the

presence of anything unusual. With very little trouble we induced

the female to perch on our hands and feed the young. Similar

photographs of the male could have been obtained had it not been

that the day was far spent and the light useless for further camera

work. After putting the young birds back in the nest and covering

up our tracks in the vicinity as much as possible, we left the birds to

enjoy the peace they deserved.


Some two months later we again visited the spot, and took

the remains of the nest for closer examination. We also examined

some Loranthus seeds which had passed through the young birds

and had lodged on the branch of a sapling. All had firmly adhered

to the branch and had sent out small shoots. From our observa¬

tions it would appear that, without doubt, the Mistletoe-bird must

be a very important factor in the spreading of Loranthus. We have

watched other birds among the branches of the parasite when in

fruit, but have not see any of them eat the berries. On 1st Nov.,

1915, just a year after our previous observation, we noticed that the

Loranthus on the same hillside had not finished flowering. Some

berries were forming, but none was nearly so far advanced as those

noticed the same time last year. We observed two different pairs of

Mistletoe-birds feeding on the ripe berries of the native cherry tree ;

White-eyes and Yellow-faced honey-eaters ( Ptilotis chrysops) were

doing the same. The berries were pulped for some time in the bill,

and swallowed with the seed attached. The mistletoe-bird, however,

appears to favour the Lorantlms berries when they are available, as,

during our observations last year, they did not eat the berries of the

native cherry, although the tree, within a few feet of the nest, was

in full fruit.


[The members of the genus DiccPAim are very small short-tailed birds, also

known as flower-peckers.—E d.



