on Honey-Eaters.



349



inches. During flight it makes a sharp “ purrt, purtt, purrt”

sound with its wings. Its call is an exceedingly high-pitched

note, oft repeated and quickly. The Spinebill is a fairly

common bird both in town and country. I have watched

Spinebills in my own garden, gathering pollen from the Chiuese-

lantern blooms ( Abutilon ). They did so on the wing, fluttering

Humming-bird-like while probing the bell-shaped flowers.

When exploring with companions an enchanting gully for water

course) in the country we discovered in the space of about

half-a-mile, three Spinebills’ nests—one being prettily ensconsed

in a bunch of flowering Clematis at the top of a Mclalezica.

The nest was open, deep and warmly feathered.


Both the Spinebills and the Wliite-uaped Honey-eaters

were perfectly fearless of my presence in the aviary. Next to

approach me was the fine White-eared Honey-eater (. Ptilotis

lencotis). At first it perched on my hard hat before it summoned

up courage to join in the feast of flowers which I still held in my

hand. It is a fine, snowy, Honey-eater, about 7^ inches in

length, its black throat and otherwise aesthetic green plumage

being conspicuously set off by its white ear coverts. The

White-eared Honey-eater is somewhat wild in the open and its

nest usually built in ground scrub is hard to find. The cup-

sliaped home is lined with a thick ply of fur or hair. It is an

interesting sight to watch the busy birds plucking hair off the

backs of cattle, for nest lining. Once a friend of mine enjoyed

a comical experience. While hunting in a scrub for nests a bird

actually perched on the horse he was riding and plucked hairs

therefrom. This hair-plucking instinct is strong in the aviary

bird, for when Miss Bowie enters the bird sometimes alights

upon her bare head and pulls at her tresses.


I commenced to survey the aviary for some of the White¬

cheeked cousins and detected five other species of Ptilotes. First

and foremost were three splendid Yellow-tufted Honey-eaters

( P. auricomis). But they were not so confiding as the previously

mentioned birds. However a transparent tube filled with live

house flies which Miss Bowie held in her hand was too tempting,

and one Yellow-tufted beauty came down and sampled the dusky

tit-bits. As a typical and beautiful Australian Honey-eater I



