THE


Bvtcultural /nbagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. III. — NO. 26. All rights reserved. DECEMBER, 1896.



RARE FOREIGN BIRDS.


(THIRD SERIES).


I.—THE GARRULOUS HONEY-EATER.


By RussEivT Humphrys.


. Perhaps it may interest some of the members of our

Society to have a short account of a pair of Garrulous Honey-

eaters ( Myzantha garrula) which I became possessed of some

months ago. This bird, a member of a somewhat extensive

group, is a native of Tasmania and New South Wales, in both

of which localities it is fairly common, although local in

some cases, being found in great numbers on one side of a river,

while on the other side not a bird can be seen. It is said that

those which inhabit Tasmania are larger than those of New

South Wales : the greater size being probably due to a

greater profusion and more nourishing properties of the food.

They haunt the eucalypti forests that abound in those regions,

and feed upon the nectar of flowers and small insedts that

frequent them. In size, the Garrulous Honey-eater equals

a large Thrush, and although sober in colouring is very

pleasing in effedt. The top of the head is black, and the face

and remainder of the head grey, with the exception of a broad

dash of black, which reaches from the ear to the angle of the

mouth. The whole of the upper surface is alight greyish brown,

each feather in the neck being tipped with silver grey. The

wings are dark brown, diversified with longitudinal streaks of

yellow, produced by the bright yellow colour which stains the

outer web of each quill feather. The tail is greyish brown,

streaked with narrow dark-brown lines, the under surface being

grey, with the exception of a dark brown patch which is found

upon the chin. My birds occupy a lean-to cage some five by

five by eight feet in a corner of ni3 r bird-room. They are very

active and highly amusing birds, and, judging from my ex¬

perience, not particularly susceptible to a low temperature, as on



