486 BIRDS OF AL'STRALIA. 



are especially formed for this kind of food, and the peculiar 

 insects Avhich constitute a portion of it? When I say that 

 there are at least fifty species of Meliphagous birds in Aus- 

 tralia, my readers will naturally expect that they are divisible 

 into many genera, and this is really the case, as will be seen 

 as we proceed. 



Genus MELIORNIS, G. R. Gray. 



No example of this genus has yet been discovered in the 

 northern or intertropical regions of Australia, all the species 

 known being confined to the southern parts of the continent, 

 the islands in Bass's Straits, and Tasmania. They feed prin- 

 cipally upon the pollen and honey of the flowers, but occa- 

 sionally upon insects ; in disposition they are tame and 

 familiar ; and they frequent the BanksicB in preference to other 

 trees. 



The sexes are generally alike in plumage, and the young 

 assume the adult livery at an early period of their existence. 



Sp.296. MELIORNIS NOV^E-HOLLANDIiE. 



New Holland Honey-eateu. 



Certhia novce-hollandice, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 296. 



New Holland Creeper, White's Journ., pi. in p. 186. 



L' Heorotaire tachete, Vieill. Ois. Dor., torn. ii. p. 91, pi. 57. 



Meliphaga nov<2-hollandm, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. 



p. 311. 

 Melitj'eptus nova-hullandice, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. 



Nat., torn. xiv. p. 328. 

 Meliphaga balgonera, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool.,vol. xiv. p. 261. 



barbata, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326. 



Meliornis nova-hollandia, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. 



p. 19. 



Meliphaga novsB-hoUandiae, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. 

 pi. 23. 



The Meliornis novcs-hollandicd is one of the most abundant 



