186



Mr. D. Le Souef,



plumage development, or even loss of plumage. Students will find

a valuable account of these patches in ‘ The Making of Species ’ by

the above-named authors.—G. R.]



BIRDS IN THE MELBOURNE ZOOLOGICAL


GARDENS.*


By D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., the Director.


Australian Honey-eaters are comparatively easy to keep in

captivity provided that they have suitable food, and we find them

quite hardy in our large flight aviary (50 ft. x 25 ft. x 30 ft. high).

Despite the number of birds in it (about 100), both the White-naped

Honey-eater (Melithreptus lunulatus) and White-plumed Honey-

eater ( Ptilotis penicillata ) bred last year and reared their young.

As is well known, many birds, especially Finches, have, when in

aviaries, a habit of pulling other birds’ nests to pieces and building

their own with the material stolen, but with Honey-eaters this does

not seem to occur often. In the same aviary the Pied Grallina

(Grallina picata) also builds its mud nest, and successfully rears its

young.


In the young White-naped Honey-eater the top of the head

is green, and it is some months before it gradually becomes black,

but the young White-plumed Honey-eaters are practically like their

parents when fully feathered. It is interesting to note how much

longer some birds take than others to assume the fully adult plumage.

We know little about this matter, mostly on account of not making

the best of our opportunities when we have them, and lack of

observation. The beautiful dark blue plumage of the male Satin Bower-

bird ( Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus ) is a case in point; the facts

were first ascertained from observation of birds in the Melbourne

Zoological Gardens. Then, again, there is the Pacific Gull ( Gcibianus

pacificus ), which takes about four years (at present I am not certain

as to the exact time — it may be a little longer) to attain the fully

adult plumage. It is curious to note that in the young birds the

feet and eyes are brown, like the plumage, and the beak whitish, and



Reprinted from ‘ The Emu.’



