I 



PLATE XXIV. 



MYZOMELA NIGRA (Gould). 



BLACK HONEY-EATER. 



THE sombre plumage of the Black Honey-eater serves effectually to distinguish it from all its 

 congeners. It inhabits the interior of New South Wales and Western Australia, but is never 

 found on the coast. 



Unlike most of the Meliphac/idw, its food consists almost entirely of insects. 



It flies with a swift zio--zag motion, but the flight is not of long; duration. 



During the breeding season, in October and November, it makes a nest of dried grasses in 



an exposed position, generally on a dead limb of a tree, and lays two eggs, of a light buff colour, 



with a circle of small brown blotches round the middle. They are seven lines long by five and 

 a-half lines broad. 



The male has the head, throat, chest, upper surface, wings and tail, sooty-black ; all the rest 

 of the plumage, white ; irides, brownish-grey ; bill and feet, black. 



The female has the head, upper surface, wings and tail, brown ; throat and all the 

 under surface, brownish-white, the centre of each feather being the darkest ; bill, brown ; legs and 

 feet, brownish-black. 



Total length of male, 5 inches ; bill, : { inch ; wing, 2l inches ; tail, If inch ; tarsi, \ inch. 

 Habitat : Interior of Australia. 



GENUS ACANTHORHYNCHUS (Gould). 



THIS purely Australian form comprises two species, one of which inhabits the east and the other 

 the west coast. 



ACANTHORHYNCHUS TE N UIRO STRI S [Gould). 



SPINE-BILL. 



THE slender and delicate bill of this bird, which inhabits Tasmania and the south-eastern part of 

 Australia, seems to be specially adapted for extracting the honey and insects from the buds of 

 flowers. It frequents the wattles and gums, when they are in blossom, but generally procures its food 

 from the Epacris, a kind of heather which is particularly plentiful in Tasmania. It is generally 

 very shy, but when obtaining food, allows persons to approach to within a few yards without taking 

 flight. 



Its note can only be described as a loud, monotonous shriek. 



