Vol. X 

 iqio 



1 Wilson and Chandler, The Helmeted Honey-eater. ^Q 



instances have been noted in which the elevation was 15 feet. 

 The nest is commenced with two or three spider cocoons ; pieces 

 of dry grass and fine bark, or possibly rootlets, are added 

 gradually. A nest was observed just started, only three spider 

 cocoons having been placed in position. On being visited 

 exactly a week later the nest was found to be complete and to 

 contain two eggs. The bird was sitting. The materials used 

 in the construction oi the outer portion of the nest are many and 

 varied, but the general base consists of dry grass, fine rootlets, 

 and shreds of bark. Sometimes the bark is placed very loosely 

 around the outside, being fastened in position with spiders' web. 

 Skeleton gum-leaves, dead gum-leaves, feathers, pieces of news- 

 paper, green moss, fine twigs, &c., are also used, and the 

 exterior of the nest is always decorated with spiders' cocoons of 

 various tints — white, green, and gold. The material used for 

 lining also varies. In one locality the seeding heads of a species 

 of grass {Graniinece) are commonly present, mixed with rabbit 

 fur or a few feathers. One nest was found lined wholly with 

 fowls' feathers, which must have been brought from some con- 

 siderable distance. The lining may consist solely of very fine 

 red bark, collected from the frayed trunks of the gums {Eucalyptus 

 obliqud). In another locality nests are very often lined with a 

 thick pad of the fur of the koala {PJiascolaixtus cinereus). The 

 leaf-buds of the tea-tree {Leptospermuni scoparhwi) and the hairy 

 seeds of the clematis {Clematis aristata) are also used. One pair 

 of birds under observation always used as lining material the 

 green leaves of the native raspberry {Rubus parvifolius), which, 

 on drying, curl up, and make a far from comfortable interior. 

 The nest may be bulky or of medium size, the larger ones being 

 generally those constructed earlier in the season, when the 

 weather is colder. The Qgg cavities of some are deeper than 

 others, a difference of one inch having been noticed. 



The bulk of the building work is done after sundown, and, 

 presumably, in the early morning (although we have not had an 

 opportunity to verify this), when the materials used are as a 

 rule most pliable. One mild summer evening early in Decem- 

 ber, at half-past seven, a bird was seen hard at work on the 

 construction of her nest. She first stripped spiders' cocoons 

 from the green leaves of a gum-tree close by. When this 

 material had been added to the structure, the bird flew off to a 

 dead tree and collected some spider web from one of the top 

 limbs, returning almost immediately. Between each load she 

 found time to refresh herself with some insect, usually caught 

 on the wing. The male, perched in a neighbouring gum-tree, 

 kept his eye open for enemies, and from time to time made 

 short sallies in different directions. The breeding season was 

 found to extend from the middle of September to the end of 

 December, but most of the nests observed were built during 



