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THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
PLATE XII 
SOME HONEY-EATERS OF THE OPEN FOREST 
1. Tawny-breasted Honey-eater Xanthotis flavwenter Lesson 
Xanth-dt'-is — Gk, xanthos, yellow ; Gk, otos , genitive of ous, ear : flav-i- 
ven-ter — L., flavus, yellow ; L., venter, belly. 
Distribution. — Northern Queensland, from Cape York to the Watson 
River. 
Notes. — Also called Streaked Honey-eater and Streak-naped Honey- 
eater. Plentiful, frequenting alike scrub, open forest, and mangroves. It 
is a silent bird. Food: chiefly insects and nectar, procured among the 
blossoms and foliage. 
Nest. — A cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark and fibre; 
lined with fibre and a few fine rootlets. Usually suspended from a hori- 
zontal forked branch of a tree, up to 50 feet from the ground. 
Eggs. — Two, pinkish-white, marked all over with small spots of bright 
brownish-red, which are thicker towards the larger end, where small 
splashes of pale purple occur. Breeding-season: probably November 
to January or February. 
2. Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater Acanthagenys rufogularis Gould 
Ac-anlJi ~a-gen-ys — Gk, acantha, spine; Gk, genys, cheek: ru-fo-gu-la-ris 
— L., rufus, red ; L., gularis, throated. 
Distribution . — Interior of Australia generally. 
Notes. — Fairly common in the scrub-lands, this species is similar in 
habits to the Little Wattle-bird. It has a pleasant song, a series of 
delightful gurgling notes, which frequently end abruptly. Food: insects 
and nectar. 
Nest . — A cup-shaped structure, composed of grasses and rootlets, well 
matted together with cobwebs and cocoons ; lined with hair, fur, wool, or 
other soft materials. Usually suspended from a forked branch of a tree 
or a clump of mistletoe, at heights up to 50 feet from the ground. 
Eggs . — Two or three, very pale olive-green, spotted, chiefly at the 
larger end, with dark to light umber and purplish-grey markings. Breeding- 
season: August to the end of November. 
3. Striped Honey-eater Plectorhyncha lanceolata Gould 
Plec-to-rliyncJi -a — Gk, plectos , straight; Gk, rhynchos ( rhugchos ), beak: 
lan-ce-o-la-ta — L., lanceolatus, lance-shaped. 
Distribution . — Eastern Australia, from mid-Queensland to South 
Australia. 
