APPENDIX. 391 



is of the usual cup-shaped form built by the members of this genus, 

 and is mostly composed of the hair-like fibre of the Cocoanut palm, 

 with a few narrow strips of bark and spider's webs ; it measures 

 exteriorly three inches in diameter by two inches and three 

 quarters deep, internally two inches and a half, by two inches deep. 

 The nest was suspended by the rim to the thin leafy twigs of a 

 " Cumquat " orange tree, one of the leaves being worked into the 

 side, and was within hand's reach of the ground. Eggs two in 

 number for a sitting, ovoid in form, of a pale reddish-white ground 

 colour ; one specimen being thickly blotched towards the larger end 

 with reddish chestnut markings, the remainder of the surface being 

 sparingly but evenly marked with spots and dots of the same 

 colour ; the other has an obsolete band of confluent purplish-groy 

 blotches on the larger end with a few markings of deep reddish- 

 cliestnut on the exterior portion of the shell, several penumbral 

 blotches and minute dots of the same colour appearing towards 

 the smaller end. Length (A) 0-87 x 0-62 inch ; (B) 0'9 x 0-65 

 inch. 



Mr. Boyd states, "All the nests taken by me were mostly com- 

 posed of Cocoanut fibre. I cannot say what material this bird 

 used for building its nest before Cocoanut trees were planted here, 

 but it could easily obtain supplies from decaying Palms and wild 

 Bananas. Two nests were built in a species of Ficus, and were 

 eighteen feet from the ground ; another was built in a Mango tree 

 about eight feet from the ground." 



Mr. Boyd obtained a nest of this species on the 10th December, 

 containing one young one and one perfectly fresh egg. 



Hab. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port 

 Denison. (^Ramsay.) 



MELTTHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, Gould. 



Black-headed Honey-eater. 



Gould, Handb. Bds., Austr., Vol. i., sp. 352, p. 573. 3Z" y'S. 



Dr. Holden, of Circular Head, Tasmania, writes as follows : — • 



" I have found this Honey-eater's nest in December. One was 



