BROWN-HEADED HONEYEATER 329 
" Blackcaps." They look just like dull specimens of 
M, lunatus, and have what sounds like a harsh, un- 
finished imitation of that bird's note. But examina- 
tion of the skins, as Gould noted, settles the matter 
at once. The Brown-headed birds are larger and 
stouter, have the eye-space greenish blue instead of 
red, and the under surface drab-coloured instead of 
pure white. The crown of the head is brownish, 
not black, and the occipital crescentic band is buff, 
where the Lunulated Honeyeater has it white. 
And after watching their habits in the bush one 
notes differences in mode of life. True, one may 
find both species together, but rarely ; in general 
the Lunulated Honeyeater loves valleys and the 
neighbourhood of water, be it only a salt creek like 
Anglesea, while the Brown-headed is found farther 
back in the more arid and barren parts of the bush, 
whether hillside or open depression, such as the 
Bull's Well, where they are always numerous. 
They feed principally on insects, whereas the 
Lunulated Honeyeater chooses honey. On an average 
the companies of Brown-headed Honeyeaters do not 
comprise so many birds as those of the Lunulated, 
and the former species may be met with in isolated 
pairs, feeding, too, rather higher in the trees than 
their congeners. As to trees, Lunulated Honey- 
eaters prefer the white-gums of the creek-valleys. 
Brown-headed Honeyeaters the forest messmates. 
I have met with the Brown-headed Honeyeater at 
Grub Lane^, Batesford, the You Yangs (plentiful), 
