INSESSORES. 571 



examples of the respective species, affording additional evi- 

 dence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian birds. 



The Melithreptus chloropsis is a native of Western Australia, 

 where it is almost always found on the upper branches of the 

 different species of Eucalypti, feeding upon the honey of the 

 flowers and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered twit, 

 but it occasionally emits a harsh, grating, and lengthened cry. 



The nest is usually suspended from the small branches 

 near the top of the gum-trees, where the foliage is thickest, 

 which renders it extremely difficult to detect. A nest found 

 by Gilbert in October was formed of sheep's wool and small 

 twigs ; another found by him in November was attached to a 

 small myrtle-like tree, in a thick gum forest, not more than 

 three feet from the ground ; both these nests contained three 

 eggs, nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad, 

 of a deep reddish buff, thinly spotted all over, but particularly 

 at the larger end, with dark reddish brown, some of the spots 

 being indistinct, while others were very conspicuous. 



Upper surface greenish olive ; head and chin black ; cre- 

 scent-shaped mark at the occiput and under surface white ; 

 wings and tail brown, margined with greenish olive ; apical 

 half of the external webs of the primaries narrowly edged 

 with white ; irides dull red ; bill blackish brown ; naked 

 space above the eye greenish white in some, in others pale 

 wine-yellow ; tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish 

 olive ; inside of the feet bright yellow. 



Total length 5^ inches ; bill \^ ; wing SJ ; tail 2f ; tarsi f . 



Sp. 351. MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS, (9o?^/^. 



White-throated Honey-eater. 

 Melithreptus albogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 220. 



Melithreptus albogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. 

 pi. 74. 



This species, which inhabits the northern and eastern parts 



