Popular iBCrttmiarg flf ^mmatctr Mature. 417 



varied with ferruginous and yellowish, with 

 three silvery spot's, placed transversely ; on 

 the inner and anterior margins a striga 



composed of black dots, and six silver spots, 

 edged internally with hlack : the anterior 

 wings are distinctly varied with black, the 

 hinder margin being strongly tipped with 

 deep brown, and having a distinct row of 

 conical black spots. Caterpillar black, with 

 a clear lateral stripe ; spines half-yellow. 



The MELIT.^A ARTEMIS, GREASY FRITIL- 

 LAKV, or SCABIOUS BUTTERFLY. This insect 

 makes its appearance towards the end of 

 May : it is more local than most of its 

 kind ; rare in the neighbourhood of London, 



but particularly abundant near Brighton ; 

 occurring plentifully also in various other 

 parts of the south and west of England, but 

 being in some places rarely seen. The 

 wings above are reddish-fulvous, undulated 

 with black, and spotted with yellow ; the 

 posterior marked with three distinct bands, 

 the middle one bearing a striga composed of 

 from four to seven black dots : the under 



surface of the anterior wings is glossy, with 

 some ochracoous dashes at the tip : the pos- 

 terior wings beneath are fulvous, with three 

 transverse yellow bands, slightly edged with 

 black : between the outer bands is a row 

 of seven black dots, edged with ochraceous ; 

 and the basal band is broken and irregular : 

 the cilia are yellowish : the body and an- 

 tennas dusky. The Caterpillar is black 

 above and yellowish beneath, with a row of 



white dots down the back and on each side : 

 head and spines black ; legs red-brown. It 

 feeds on the Scabiosa succisa, plantain, &c., 

 and appears in September: about the end 

 of April it changes to a pale green chrysalis, 

 spotted with black, and having yellow tuber- 

 cles at the extremity of the body. In about 

 fifteen days the butterfly is produced. 



MELIPHAGA. A genus of Tenuirostral 

 birds belonging to the Meliphaffidai family, 

 very many species of which will be found 

 described in the great work of Mr. Gould on 

 the Birds of Australia, the country where 

 they abound ; of these we may specify 



The MELIPHAGA NOV^-HOLLANDI.B, or 

 NEW HOLLAND HOXEY-EATER. This is one 

 of the most abundant and familiar birds in- 

 habiting the colonies of New South Wales, 

 Van Diemen's Land, and South Australia ; 

 breeding among shrubs and flowering plants, 

 aiid being common, in fact, on the sandy 

 districts wherever the Banksias abound. 

 " Nor is it the least attractive of the Aus- 

 tralian Fauna ; the strikingly contrasted 

 markings of its plumage, and the beautiful 

 appearance of its golden-edged wings, when 

 passing with its quick, devious, and jumping 

 flight from shrub to shrub, rendering it a 

 conspicuous and pleasing object." Gould. It 

 usually rears two or three broods during the 

 course of the season, which lasts from August 

 to January. The nest is composed of small 

 wiry sticks, coarse grasses, and strips of 

 bark ; the inside lined with the soft woolly 

 portion of the blossoms of small ground 

 plants. It lays two, and sometimes three 

 eggs, of a pale buff colour, spotted with deep 

 chestnut-brown at the larger end. Its food 

 principally consists of the juices and pollen 

 of flowers ; but it also feeds on fruit and 

 insects. 



The MELIPHAGA SERICEA, or WHITE- 

 CHEEKED HOXEY-EATER. This species 

 appears to be more confined to an eastern 

 locality in Australia than the one above de- 

 scribed, found in more open districts, and 

 less seen in the interior of the country. 

 When perched on the trees it is a most showy 

 bird, its white cheek-feathers and contrasted 

 tints of colouring rendering it very conspi- 

 cuous. It is readily known from the Meli- 

 phaga Novcc-HoUandiae by its white cheeks 

 and the absence of white tips to the tail- 

 feathers. 



The MELIPHAGA AUSTKALASIANA, or 

 TASMANIA^ HOXEY-EATER. This species, 

 which is smaller than either of the preced- 

 ing, and less brilliantly marked, is abun- 

 dantly dispersed over every part of Van 

 Diemen's Land, preferring such parts of 

 the forests as are clothed with a thick brush 

 of dwarf shrubby trees, growing beneath 

 the more lofty gums, where numbers of 

 these birds may be heard pouring forth their 

 loud, shrill, and liquid notes in quick suc- 

 cession. It also resorts to the more open 

 hills, where it finds thick beds of the Epacria 

 hose bright red and white heath- 



like blossoms afford it an abundant supply 

 of food. But, independently of the honey it 

 obtains from the tube of every floret, which. 



