VII MELIPHAGIDAE 567 
of the insects which constitute so much of their diet, they occa- 
sionally feed upon the ground—especially in the case of Ptilotis ; 
while Meliornis and Entomophila will dart after their prey like 
Flycatchers. Figs and bananas, with other fruits and buds, are 
also eaten ; honey is sucked from the flowers of Hucalyptus, Acacia, 
Epacris,and the like,in considerable quantities, the insects it attracts 
being perhaps the chief object ; and Philemon batters large insects 
upon the branches before swallowing them. The voice is commonly 
loud, rich, and shrill, but varies from a whistle or a pipe to a chirp ; 
some species, however, are more quiet, others give vent to slow, 
plaintive Cries; 
quickly - reiterated 
notes, or compara- 
tively harsh sounds. 
The Tui, or Parson- 
bird, utters a wild 
SOM, cela uw & hig, 
coughs, sneezes, 
and mimics gener- 
ally; Acrulocercus 
gets the name of 
O-o from its harsh 
double call; Pogo- 
nornis that of 
Stitch-bird = from 
its clicking cry, 
though it also 
whistles ; while 
Philemon cornicu- 
latus is sometimes called “ Four-o’clock,” “ Poor Soldier,” or 
“Pimlico,” from its note. Anthornis, the New Zealand “ Bell- 
bird,” usually heard in chorus, has a voice like the tinkling of a 
silver bell.! The nest, normally a slight structure of twigs, roots, 
bark, grass, and spiders’ webs, lined with woolly materials, fur, or 
feathers, is placed in bushes, trees, or even tall grass, and generally 
has the rim woven over a supporting fork. A few species, how- 
ever, including the New Zealand forms, Pogonornis, Anthornis, and 
Prosthemadera, build a solid fabric of twigs and rough materials 
Fia. 135.—Tui. Prosthemadera novae zealandiae. x3. 
3 
1 Oreoeca cristata (Laniidae) and Manorhina melanophrys (Meliphagidae) are the 
Bell-birds of Australia ; Chasmorhynchus (Cotingidae) of the Neotropical Region. 
