NESTS AND EGGS OF HONEY-EATERS. 579 
. varied, and perhaps the most attractive of the Australian avifauna. 
I have followed the classification and nomenclature of the British 
Museum, omitting the genus Zosterops. 
MyzomMELA SANGUINOLENTA, Latham. 
‘Blood Honey-eater.” 
Figure.—Gould, Bds. of Australia, fol., vol. iv, pl. 63. 
Reference.—Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., vol. ix, p. 131. 
Previous Descriptions of Eqggs.—Ramsay—lIbis, vol. i, new ser, 
(1865) ; Campbell, Southern Science Record (1883). 
Geographical Distribution.—Queensland, New South Wales, 
and Victoria, 
Nest.—Cup-shaped, small, neat ; somewhat scantily constructed 
of strings of bark without any other lining ; usually suspended in 
a bush or among the topmost branches of a Melaleuca. Interior 
dimensions, 1} inches across by 1 inch deep. 
L£ggs.—Clutch, 2-3 ; roundish in shape; texture very fine ; sur- 
face slightly glossy ; colour, warm or pearly white, marked chiefly 
about the apex with blotches and spots of dull chestnut and grey. 
Dimensions in parts of an inch of a clutch (1) ‘64 x -49; (2) 
Ohx 47. 
Observations. —This small and bright blood-coloured Honey-eater 
has an eastern habitat, ranging almost from Cape York down to 
Eastern Victoria. 
In Northern Queensland my companions and I enjoyed watch- 
ing scores of these beautiful little birds, with shining scarlet head 
and neck, disporting themselves and feeding among the Melaleuca 
blossoms, especially on dewy mornings. We did not succeed in 
finding a nest. 
However, I was indebted to Dr. E. P. Ramsay for a pair of 
eggs, and his description of the nest I have used. Dr. Ramsay 
observes that the Sanguineous Honey-eater arrives in the neigh- 
bourhood of Sydney during the months of October and November, 
remaining to breed during November and December, and as late 
as January. 
The first Blood Honey-eaters noticed in Victoria, which are in 
the National Museum, Melbourne, were shot by Mr. C. J. Stafford 
in Gippsland. By way, I may mention that Mr. Stafford was a 
mate of the late Mr. H. W. Wheelwright (“Old Bushman”), who 
wrote ‘‘ Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist.” 
Mr. F. Hutchinson sent to the Australasian oftice for identifica- 
tion a sketch of a pair of Blood Honey-eaters, which were observed 
feeding among the blossoms in his garden, Alexandra, Victoria, 
22nd September, 1896. The beautiful birds were interesting 
visitors indeed, being so far out of their usual track, and so early 
in the season. 
