FASSERES. 



FAMILY IV. 

 THE HONEY-EATERS. MELIPHAGID^.* 



General Characteristics. — Bill more or less long, curved, and usually acute at the 

 tip, which is slightly emarginated ; the nostrils placed in a large groove, and gene- 

 rally covered by a membranous scale ; wings moderate, the first three quills gradu- 

 ated ; the tail long and broad ; the tarsi rather short and strong, and the toes more or 

 less long, the outer always united at its base ; the tongue is extensile, and furnished at 

 the tip with a pencil of short slender fibres. 



The beautiful birds composing the family of the Honey-Eaters, 

 although nearly unknown to Linnseus, occupy a prominent and 

 important situation in the ornithological department of Nature. 

 Chiefly confined to AustraHa, where they abound in every variety 

 of form, and in an apparently inexhaustible multitude of species, 

 they find a sufficient and never-failing support in the peculiar 

 vegetation of that country. There the fields are never without 

 blossom, and different species of plants, particularly the Eucalypti, 

 afford a constant succession of that food which is suitable to the 

 tubular and brush-like tongue of these birds. It must not be sup- 

 posed, however, that the food of the Meliphagid^e is restricted, as 

 their name would imply, simply to the nectar of flowers. They 

 indeed feed upon the honey, but combined with the numerous 

 small insects lodged in most flowers, which they extract with their 

 tongues, formed for that purpose. 



This family embraces three subdivisions, named respectively the 

 Honey-Creepers, the Honey-Eaters, and the Honey-Feeders. 



Sub-Family I. 

 THE HONEY-CREEPERS. MYZOMELIN^.f 



General Characteristics. — Bill more or less long, slender, curved, and acute at the 

 tip, which is slightly emarginated ; the nostrils basal, and the opening covered by 

 a membranous scale ; the wings rather short, with the third and fourth quills usually 

 the longest ; the tail short and even ; the tarsi short ; toes moderate, the outer toe 

 longer than the inner, and united at the base. 



The Honey-Creepers are found only in Australia, where they 

 frequent various plants, from the flowers of which they collect the 



* \j.i\i, meli, honey; ^6.'^w, phago, to eat: honey-eater, 

 t Ikv^aw, myzao, to suck; p.i.\\., meli, honey: honey-suckers. 



