INSESSORES. 553 



the eggs arc much lengthened and pointed; their medium 

 length is nine Ihies, and breadth six lines. 



Crown of the head shining greenish black ; space between 

 the bill and the eye, ear-coverts, lunated band on the sides of 

 the chest, primaries, and six middle tail-feathers black; the 

 remainder of the tail-feathers black, largely tipped with 

 white, and slightly margined on the external web with 

 brown ; back of the neck rufous chestnut, passing into 

 chestnut-brown on the upper part of the back ; secondaries, 

 greater wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey ; 

 throat, cheeks, and chest wdiite, the first with a patch of 

 chestnut-brown in the centre, deepening into black on its 

 lower edge; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts light 

 chestnut-brown ; irides scarlet ; bill black ; feet reddish brown. 



Specimens from Tasmania have the patch in the centre of 

 the throat and the lunated marks on the sides of the neck 

 much deeper, and the whole of the under surface richer 

 chestnut. 



340. ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS, Gould. 

 White-eyebrowed Spine-bill. 



Acanthorhynchus super ciliosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. 



p. 24. 

 Bool-jeet, Aborigiues of the lowland districts of Western Australia. 



Acanthorhynchus superciliosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., 

 vol. iv. pi. 62. 



Hitherto I have only received this fine and well-marked 

 species of Spine-billed Honey-eater from Western Australia, 

 but hereafter it will doubtless be found to range over a much 

 greater extent of country ; although a very local bird, it is 

 tolerably abundant both at Swan River and King George's 

 Sound, and is found to give a decided preference to the 

 forests of Banksias, upon the blossoms of which trees it 

 almost solely subsists. Its food consists of insects and 



