THE ATTSTEALIAN BEDWING. 139 



ber ; in fact, all the thrushes, and many of the common 

 bush-birds of Australia, lay but three eggs. 



The Wattle-bird is a fine-looking bird, about the size 

 of the British fieldfare, but longer ; the general colour 

 ash-brown, marked with black, a long thin pointed tail, a 

 bright yellow tinge on the belly, and a red fleshy wart 

 or excrescence hanging down from each ear ; a powerful 

 long pointed beak, and long sharp claws. This is one of 

 the honey-eaters, which class of birds is characterized by 

 a long horny tongue, feathered and fringed towards the 

 end with fibres, for the purpose of gathering the honey 

 and pollen from the blossoms of the trees. The wattle- 

 bird remained in our forests throughout the year ; bred 

 in the small honeysuckles and shey oaks ; the nest like 

 that of the blackbird ; eggs large, three in number, 

 deeply spotted with red. It was found among the honey- 

 suckles and gum-trees, in those particular seasons when 

 the blossoms yielded the honey. In flight it much re- 

 sembled the fieldfare at home. It has a very loud 

 hoarse note or cackle, which we used to compare to the 

 words " up with the rag," often and quickly repeated. 

 In the end of autumn the old and young birds congregate 

 in large flocks. They are excellent eating. 



The Australian Redwing, as we call it, is another of 

 the honey-eaters ; not so large as the wattle-bird, one 

 uniform greenish-brown colour marked with black, the 

 under parts of the wing chestnut-red, the eye bluish- 

 white. It was rather a shy bird, not so common as the 

 wattle-birds ; frequented the same localities, and bred in 



