Aves. 49 



Family ZOSTEKOPID^. 

 27. Zosterops natalis. (Plate YI.) 



Zosterops tiatalis, Lister, P.Z.S., 1888, p. 518, pi. xxvii. 



iN'o. 21, (5^ ad. Flying Fish Coye, August 5, 1897. 



a, $ ad. Flying Fish Coye, August 10, 1897. 



3, c, $ ad. Flying Fish Coye, Xoy ember 29, 1897. 



d, S ^^- I'lyi^g Fish Coye, jS'oyember 24, 1897. 



^, 5 ^tl. Flying Fish Coye, December 3, 1897. 

 f, ff, 6 9 ^^^' ^lyiiig ^ish Coye, 3Iarch 4, 1898. 



The White-eye of Christmas Island is a large species, and easily 

 recognized by its colour. I can see no dijfference in the plumage 

 of specimens killed in yarious months, and the young resemble 

 the adults. The yellow at the base of the bill scarcel}^ amounts 

 to more than a small loral patch and does not form a frontal band. 

 IS^.B. — In Mr. Lister's diagnosis of the species (p. 519) the fii'st 

 character, yiz., that the crown becomes paler "towards the base 

 of the tail,^^ must be a misprint for 'bill.' 



The nest is a pretty little structure — a shallow cup suspended 

 between the forks of a twig, to which it is attached. The nest 

 consists of yegetable fibre, with wool as a basis, and it is lined 

 with the same black fibre of the sago -palm as that used b^^ the 

 Thrush for its nest. A second nest is deeper in the cup, contains- 

 more cotton, and has a few white feathers interlaced in the 

 outside. The two eggs, obtained by Mr. Andrews in Xoy ember, 

 are uniform bluish white. Axis 0*7 ; diam. 0*5. 



[The little Zosterops (Burung Waringin) swarm eyerywhere, 

 eyen in the middle of the forest. They seem to form small flocks, 

 and behaye much like Titmice, climbing about among the foliage 

 and often hanging head downwards under a leaf or branch in their 

 search for insects. They also eat a good deal of fi'uit, and destroy 

 many papaias, custard-apples, and bananas, of which they are so 

 fond that the}' often come on to the dinner-table to get them. 

 They haye only a twittering note, but when a Hawk is in the 

 neighbourhood the noise made by a flock of them is considerable. 

 The nest is usually placed between two twigs or in the fork of 

 small branches of bushes, and is made of fibres of the sago-palm, 

 or any other yegetable fibre they can get. They seem to breed 

 nearly all the year round. — C. W. A.] 



Family TrEDIDiE. 

 28. Merula erythropleura. 



Turdus erythropleurus, Sharpe, P.Z.S., 1887, p. olo. 

 Merula erythropleura, Lister, P.Z.S., 1888, p. 517. 



Ko. 23, ad. Flying Fish Cove, August, 1897. 



Nos. 52, 53, S $ ad. Flying Fish Coye, October 20, 1897. 



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