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Notes on some Rare Birds Collected in 

 THE Neighbourhood of Mounts Compass 

 AND Jagged. 



By F. TV. Andeews, Corr. Member. 

 [Bead October 2, 1883.] 



An albino variety of the common and well-know^n Honey- 

 bird (Meliornis Novae-Hollandiae). 



The belts of Banksias growiug in tliis district are the 

 favourite retreats of the Honey-bird, which is also called the 

 " "Whisker-bird," and here they are always to be found. They 

 also live and breed in the gardens and outlying country about 

 Burnside, and are well-known visitors in gardens. Their food 

 consists of honey and occasionally small insects, especially 

 aphides, and may often be seen flying in the air chasing a small 

 moth or butterfly. They make a very compact cup-shaped nest 

 of bark or other suitable material, lining it with the velvety 

 covering of the honeysuckle-cone when this is dry and ripe. 

 They usually lay four eggs of a pinkish-white colour, blotched 

 with pinkish-brown spots, but the colours and markings vary 

 considerably. From authentic information I received, it ap- 

 peared that three albinos were hatched in one nest. They kept 

 together for a long time, when one of them got chased and 

 killed by some young men who were road making. The second 

 I shot about one mile south from the Square Water Hole on 

 the road to Mount Jagged. The third made off after losing its 

 mate, and was not afterwards seen. One peculiarity of this 

 specimen is that its eyes are white, like the ordinary Honey- 

 bird, and not pink as in most albinos. I found it much 

 wilder than the common ones, and followed this one from bush 

 to bush for a long time ; it always concealed itself in the 

 thickest part of the foliage, but kept up a continual chattering, 

 which was a good guide as to its whereabouts. At last it flew 

 some distance away into a thick clump of low mallee bushes 

 situated in the middle of a small plain. On arriving at the 

 spot and going down on one knee, I waited a short time to re- 

 cover my breath, and then commenced chirrui^ing with my fore 

 finger and lips. I shortly saw it rising from branch to 

 branch, until at last it alighted on the topmost twig. Being 

 all ready, I shot it at once, before it had time to satisfy its 

 curiosity respecting the chirping. When flying about in the 

 scrub it presented a most attractive appearance, and on a care- 



