BIRDS OF THE BLOSSOMS AND OUTER FOLIAGE 
105 
Eggs. Two or three, pale buff, marked, chiefly at the larger end, 
with spots of chestnut and dull purplish-grey. Breeding-season : August 
to December. 
15. Western Spinebill Acanthorhynchus superciliosus Gould 
su-per-cil-i-ds - us — L., superciliosus , browed. 
Distribution. — South-western Australia, from Perth to the Stirling 
Ranges. 
Notes. — Also called White-browed Spinebill. Usually in pairs, fre- 
quenting banksia and tea-tree country ; in habits it is similar to the East- 
ern Spinebill. Food : insects and nectar. 
N est. — Like that of the Eastern Spinebill, but slightly smaller. 
Eggs - — Two usually, pale pinkish- white, marked, chiefly at the larger 
end, with spots of chestnut and dull purplish-grey. Breeding-season : Aug- 
ust to December. 
16. White-naped Honey-eater Melithreptus lunatus Vieillot 
Mel-i-threp'-tus — Gk, meli y honey; Gk, threptos, nourished: lu-na-tus — L., 
lunatus, moon-shaped = markings. 
Distribution. — Queensland to Victoria to Western Australia, and the 
Kent Group (Bass Strait). 
Notes. — Also called Lunulated Honey-eater and Blackcap. Usually 
in small flocks ; a common bird throughout the coastal districts, timbered 
mountain ranges, and open forest country inland; it is also numerous in 
gardens and is tame and fearless ; seen chiefly among the flowering euca- 
lypt trees, seeking insects, pollen, and nectar. Call-note, a single piping 
whistle, uttered frequently. 
Nest. — A small, cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark 
matted together with cobwebs and spiders’ egg-bags; lined with grass, 
rootlets, soft bark, and occasionally fur. Suspended from a drooping 
branch of a tree at a considerable height from the ground. 
Eggs. — Two or three, pale buff, finely spotted and freckled, chiefly at 
the larger end, with reddish-brown and pale purplish-grey markings. 
Breeding-season: July to November. 
17. White-throated Honey-eater Melithreptus albogularis Gould 
al-bo-gu-ldr-is — L., albus, white; L., gularis, throated. 
Distribution. — Northern Australia and north-eastern Queensland ; 
also occurs in south-eastern New Guinea. 
Notes. — Also called White-chinned Honey-eater. Similar in habits to 
the White-naped Honey-eater. 
Nest. — Closely resembles that of the White-naped Honey -eater. 
Eggs. — Usually two, pale salmon-pink, spotted and speckled with red- 
dish-brown markings, chiefly at the larger end. Breeding-season: July to 
January. 
