CERimONYX. 211 



unfortunately, as in most bird's eggs, the bloom goes off, and the 

 bright tint soon fades. From my note book, I find that when 

 first taken from the nest they are of a deep saturnine buff, spotted 

 with irregular markings of a deeper hue in some, evenly distributed 

 over their surface, in others, or crowded at the larger end; 

 there are also a few indistinct dots of greyish lilac dispersed over 

 the surface ; but these lilac dots ar6 not visible in all specimens. 

 I have one however, in which greyish-lilac spots predominate. 

 This species of Honey-eater was one of the first known, and was 

 described under various names, and placed in several genera by as 

 many different authors ; but as its habits and economy became 

 more perfectly understood, and ornithologists began to classify 

 their birds more from their habits, &c., this species was finally 

 placed among the Honey-eaters, and a new genus formed for its 

 reception." (Ramsay, Proo. Phil. Soc, Sydney, 1865, p. 319 

 pi. i., fig. 3.) 



A set taken at Dobroyde on the 1st of October 1865, measures 

 as follows :— length (A) 0-95 x 0-72 inch ; (B) 0-97 x 0-71 inch. 



This is a very common species in the neighbourhood of 

 Wellington, New South Wales. 



HaA. Rockingham Bay, Wide Bay District, Richmond and 

 Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria 

 and South Australia. (Ramsay.) 



Genus CERTHIONYX, Lessm. 



-x CERTHIONYX LEUCOMELAS, Cuvier. 



(Melicophila picata, Gould.) 

 Pied BConey-eater. 

 Gould, Handhk. Eds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 325, p. 529. 



" Mr. K. H. Bennett informs me that this species constructs a 

 nest very similar to that of Meliphaga phrygia, but of much finer 

 materials, and resembles that of a RMpidura; it is placed on a 

 horizontal branch, and is cup-shaped, composed of strips of fine 



