Phibalura flavirostris and Lochmias nematura. 489 



the big posterior pole is an irregular crown of spots of a 

 neutral tint, larger at the end and becoming smaller and 

 more indistinct towards the middle. A has the following 

 dimensions : — longitudinal axis 22 mm., largest transverse 

 axis 19 mm,, section of the axes at 13"5 mm. from the 

 anterior point. B, longit. 23 mm., transverse 19 mm., 

 section 13'5 mm. from anterior point. 



I also subsequently took two nestlings — one quite young, 

 on the 2nd February, 1893, and another, older, almost fully 

 fledged, on the 24th February, 1893. Both these I kept some 

 days alive and fed them with their natural food — berries of 

 the different species of Loranthaceae, our South-American 

 mistletoes [Loranthus \_Struthanthus] marginatus, Str. coc- 

 cineus, &c.) *. 



They devour enormous quantities of these berries, which 

 are provided with a viscous pericarp. Procnias tersa is also 

 very fond of this food. When hungry they clamour for food 

 with a melodious " fin, fin,^^ repeated ad infinitum. 



These young Phibaluras are very charming and agreeable 

 creatures. The younger individual had a very short tail ; 

 the white colour was predominant on the abdominal side, 

 some yellow appearing between and before the legs and at 

 the ends of the remiges. The older individual had a long tail 

 and the yellow markings had become salient. I found a 

 second specimen of the same age on the 3rd February, 1894, 

 on a bush beneath the place where I had obtained the nest 

 and eggs in November 1892. Evidently it had dropped from 

 the nest on a premature attempt to fly out. 



Thus I can add a second fact in the natural history of 

 Phibalura : — // breeds twice a year in the Serra dos Orgaos, 

 the first time in November, the second time in February. 



The following list of the specimens of Phibalura in my 

 own series is of some importance, as showing the periods of 

 their appearance : — 



* Botanical determinations made in the Museum Botanicum Poly- 

 technici Helvetici, Zurich. 



