H) Order Passeriformes, Family Meliphagidae, Genus Ptilotula. 



They also take the insects often to be found there. They also 

 catch flying insects, being almost as expert as a fly-catcher at 

 hawking flying ants and small moths. 



At times they attack all soft fruits, probably because the 

 supply of honey is short, and on looking for insects in bird- 

 picked fruit, find that it is sweet and to their taste. They 

 will also eat bread crumbs, but are not known to eat seeds at 

 all. They also remove the loose bark from the gum trees in 

 search of insects, collect them from the leaves and branches, 

 and sometimes on the ground. , They are seldom, if ever 

 found in scrub country, always keeping in their natural haunt 

 — the big gums (Eucalyptus rostrata). 



Nest. — A small, neat, strong, delicate looking, cup-shaped 

 structure, made of strong wiry grasses and horse hair woven 

 together with cobwebs. If built near a house it may contain 

 bits of string or darning wool. It is lined with fine grasses, 

 and sometimes thistle down, but no fur or feathers. It is 

 suspended by the rim to the terminal branches of a tree in a 

 thick clump of leaves varying in height from 3 ft. to 50 or <50 

 ft. from the ground. They are usually built in a gum tree, 

 but not always, one being found at Stonyfell in the top of ft 

 small dog rose about 3 ft. from the ground. A favourite nest- 

 ing place in the neighbourhood of Blackwood is in a wattle 

 (Acacia pycnantlia). The building takes a long time: one ob- 

 served from the beginning at Blackwood was finished in five 

 weeks, and another at Kallioota was still unfinished at the end 

 of three weeks, although apparently half finished when found. 

 Another pair at Kallioota. began three nests, pulling each one 

 down in turn, and beginning in another place, and finally left 

 the locality without finishing any. They are erratic breeders, 

 being both early and late, as a rule rearing two broods in a 

 year. It is not unusual to see young birds at any season of the 

 year except early winter. 



Eggs. — Ground colour, warm pink, sparingly spotted with 

 dark red or red brown, the spots being more numerous towards 

 the larger end, in some eggs forming an indistinct ring. The 

 shell is fine grained, but not glossy. 



Two or three broods are reared in the year. There are 

 usually three eggs in the first clutch, and two or only one in the 

 later ones. The eggs of the later clutches usually have a 

 lighter ground colour, sometimes quite white. 



