"^fgj^- ] Wilson, The Bell Miner. 235 



tinged with green ; the under surface is of a pale yellowish 

 colour. Primaries and secondaries are well advanced, and the 

 tail quills are just showing. The legs, bill, and gape yellow ; 

 bare skin about the eye of a dirty greenish colour. On 12th 

 June I obtained the other young one, in order to determine the 

 growth, and found that it measured 4.625 inches in length. 



Bell Miners are remarkably local, inhabiting as they do a 

 small stretch of fairly low timber and scrub bordering the 

 banks of some creek, usually not more than 250 yards long by 

 about 150 yards wide. They never venture outside the boun- 

 daries, and resent intrusion by other birds, although I recently 

 found a nest of the Mountain-Thrush {OreocicJila lunulata), 

 containing two young, which was placed in the centre of one of 

 their colonies. The following is an extract from my note-book : 

 — " As I was sitting watching the Bell Miners an immature 

 Pennant Parrakeet {Platycercus elegans) perched on a sapling 

 close by. It was instantly attacked by one of the fraternity and 

 quickly put to flight, this time alighting just across the creek. 

 His first assailant seemed satisfied and desisted from the attack, 

 but a neighbour opposite took up the cause and " Elegans " 

 shifted further down the creek again. But even here he was 

 within the sacred precincts, and a third time trouble awaited 

 him ; he was eventually forced to leave the locality altogether." 

 I have also seen Bell Miners squabbling with Crescent Honey- 

 eaters {Meliornis pyrrJioptera), Harmonious Shrike-Thrushes 

 {Collyriocidila harmonica), the Black-and-White Fantail {Rhip- 

 idura tricolor), and the White-throated Tree-creeper {Ciiviac- 

 teris scandens). Bell Miners are seldom seen on the ground 

 except when drinking, and seem to spend most of their time 

 on the low trees and saplings. Some of the birds especially 

 appear to be of a very inquisitive nature. 



When flying the Honey-eaters usually have their tail feathers 

 widely spread, and rarely proceed more than 50 yards at a 

 stretch. An exception to this was noticed in a case where a Tit 

 {A. pusilla or A. lineata) had ventured too close to a nest of the 

 Bell Miner which I had found. The Miner swooped on the Tit, 

 which made off above the tree-tops, closely followed by the 

 enemy. The chase was kept up for three or four minutes, and 

 was by far the most sustained flight I have known a Bell Miner 

 to make. The gum-trees {Eucalyptus amygdalina) in the 

 district under notice are infested with a scale-like insect 

 {Spondylapsis eucalypti). This, although by no means the only 

 food of the Bell Miner, forms a large part of its diet. The 

 birds also search very carefully all loose bark and debris 

 hanging to the trees in the vicinity, from which they get a 

 supply of beetles, &c. From the crop of one I took a small 

 yellow beetle resembling the common ladybird. 



The Bell Miner's principal note is a beautiful bell-like tinkle, 



