NESTS AND EGGS OF HONEY-EATERS. 617 
to imitate their whistle-like “ tchook, tchook ” call notes, when a 
poor bird would often answer and fly into the tree overhead its 
deceiver, from whence it easily fell to a half charge of dust shot. 
Strolling through the scrub on Flinders, I watched a pair of 
Yellow-throats chevying each other through the trees. A butterfly 
crosses in front, diverting the attention of the foremost bird, which 
instantly captures it and flies to a tree. Devouring the insect, the 
bird wipes its bill on the branch, with evident satisfaction, and 
makes off again. 
An unoccupied nest I found in a Ti-tree thicket is not unlike 
that of the White-eared Honey-eater of the mainland, being con- 
structed of bark, grass, and spiders’ cocoons, but lined with wool 
and feathers instead of hair only. However, in Tasmania the 
Yellow-throated Honey-eater has been seen gathering hair for its 
nest from live animals—even “human” animals—for Mr. A. E. 
Brent gives me the following amusing story :— 
He and a companion were in hiding among ferns (bracken) in 
a deep gully watching for hawks. A Yellow-throated Honey-eater 
was noticed poking about as if it had a nest near. They took off 
their hats so as not to attract the bird’s attention. The bird 
hopped around, then alighted upon one of their heads, and com- 
menced tugging at the hair, which would not yield like the fur 
of a marsupial. The bird tugged harder, but the hair slipping 
through its bill caused the bird to turn a semi-somersault back- 
wards, which made Mr. Brent and his companion laugh so that 
the bird was scared away. The nest in process of building was 
found about 15 paces away. 
Gould found a nest containing young (28th September, 1839). 
He also described the nest, its situation, and eggs. 
Breeding months, August to December. 
PTILOTIS FASCIOGULARIS, Gould. 
“‘Fasciated Honey-eater.” 
Figure.—Gould, Bds. of Australia, fol. sup. iv, pl. 40. 
Reference.—Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., vol. ix, p. 240. 
Geographical Distribution.—Queensland. 
Nest and Eggs.—Unknown. 
Observations. —These finely-shaped Honey-eaters, which, asGould 
points out, differ from the other members of the genus in the dis- 
tinct bars of pale yellow and brown which mark the throat and 
fore part of the neck, are generally found in belts of mangroves on 
the Queensland coast, and adjacent low, swampy islands, and are 
sometimes called the Island Honey-eater. During an excursion with 
Mr. A. W. Milligan, on the Lower Fitzroy, we found the birds 
making the mangroves merry with their pleasant notes. The birds 
were extremely shy, nevertheless we succeeded in procuring a 
couple of skins. 
