THE WHITE-THROATED HOAEY-EATER. 



133 



Still keeping to the same interesting family of birds, we find 

 among the pensile builders another species of Honey-Eater. 



The White-throated Honey- Eater {Ejitomophila albogu- 

 laris) is rather like the Painted Honey- Eater, being brown 

 above, white below, and having a yellow patch on the base of 

 the tail. It is, however, easily distinguished from its congener 

 by the peculiarity from which it derives its name — viz. a large 

 patch of pure white in the front of the throat, extending as far 

 as the eyes. The top of the head is greyish blue, and the 

 breast is buff. 



It is a lively, active little creature, ever on the move, and 

 delighting to flit from branch to branch, but not caring to make 

 long flights. As it flies from one bough to another, it utters a 

 musical little song, much like that of the goldfinch, and con- 

 tinues to sing for a considerable time. It detests wind, and is 

 mostly seen in the thick bush, and loves to frequent the masses 

 of mangroves which edge bays and creeks, because the air is 

 comparatively still. In these places may be found its curious 

 nest, which is about as large as a breakfast-cup, and very much 

 of the same shape. It is made of the delicate paper-like bark 

 of the Melaleucse, and various vegetable fibres, with which it is 

 ingeniously hung to the branches. The broad, thin bark causes 

 it to be very smooth on the exterior. For the lining, the bird 

 is not indebted to any animal or bird, but uses grass-blades, 

 which are neatly laid, and form a soft resting-place for the eggs. 



The nest is placed very low, being often found scarcely two 

 feet from the water, in that point resembling the nest of the 

 African weaver birds, which have already been described. It is 

 always hung near the extremity of a branch, and invariably is 

 so placed as to be under the protection of a spray of leaves, 

 which act as a roof whereby the rain is thrown off. 



There is a genus of very small birds, called Dicaeum, which 

 is spread over many parts of the world, and finds several repre- 

 sentatives in Australia. All are interesting birds ; but as the 

 present work only treats of birds as the architects of their nests, 

 it is necessary to select one which builds a pensile habitation. 

 This is the Swallow DiCiEUM {Diccewn hirundinaceuin), a bird 



