1 72 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Eggs . — Three usually, pale flesh-coloured, becoming darker at the 
larger end, spotted and speckled with reddish-chestnut and a few scat- 
tered markings of dull purplish-grey, particularly at the larger end. 
Breeding-season : July to December or January. 
15. Tawny-crowned Honey-eater Gliciphila melanops Latham 
mel’-an-ops — Gk, melas ( melanos ), black; Gk, ops, face. 
Distribution. — New South Wales, Victoria, South and south-western 
Australia, Kangaroo Island, and Tasmania. 
Notes. — Also called Fulvous- fronted Honey-eater. Usually in pairs 
or small parties, inhabiting heath and dwarf scrub-lands. Its song, which 
is somewhat mournful, commences with a single note slowly drawn out, 
followed by a quick double note, repeated six or eight times ; it is usually 
uttered while the bird is perched on the topmost branch of a shrub. Food : 
insects, nectar, and pollen. 
Nest. — A deep, cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark and 
grass, well matted together with spiders’ egg-bags and cobwebs ; lined with 
plant down. Generally placed near the ground in a low bush or tussock. 
Eggs. — Two or three, white, sparsely spotted and speckled, chiefly 
at the larger end, with dull chestnut-brown markings. Breeding-season: 
June to February or later. 
16. White-fronted Honey-eater Gliciphila albifrons Gould 
al'-bi-frons — L., albus, white; L., fronts, forehead. 
Distribution. — Extra-tropical Australia (accidental to southern 
Australia). 
Notes. — Usually in pairs or small parties, inhabiting heath and dwarf 
scrub-lands of the interior. It is an active bird, darting about the foliage 
and blossoms in search of insects and nectar; at all times it is shy and 
wary. Its flight is erratic, and similar to that of the Tawny-crowned 
Honey-eater. A local migrant in large flocks. 
Nest. — A cup-shaped structure, composed of bark and grasses; 
usually lined with the brown velvety material removed from the cones 
of the banksias, and sometimes with hair or fur. Mostly placed in a 
low bush, within 5 feet of the ground. 
Eggs. — Usually two, pale pinkish-white, spotted and blotched, par- 
ticularly at the larger end, with reddish-brown and dull purple markings. 
Breeding-season : generally July or August to January. 
17. White-eared Honey-eater Meliphaga leucotis Latham 
M el-ip Ji-ag-a — Gk, meli, honey; Gk, phagein, to eat: leuc-dt'-is— Gk, 
leucos , white ; Gk, otos , genitive of ous , ear. 
Distribution— Southern Queensland to Victoria, South Australia, 
Kangaroo Island, and south-western Australia. 
Notes. — Usually in pairs or small parties, frequenting alike heath and 
