MELITHREPTU S CHLOROPSIS, Gould . 
Swan I?iyer Honey-eater. 
Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November, 1847. 
Jin-gee, Aborigines of the lowland, and 
Bun-geen, of the mountain districts of Western Australia. 
Ber-ril-ber-ril, Aborigines of Swan River. 
This species differs from the Melithreptus lunulatus in being of a larger size, and in having the bare space 
above the eyes of a pale green instead of red ; in other respects the two birds so closely assimilate, that 
they are scarcely distinguishable from each other. Individuals in a browner and more dull style of 
plumage, presenting in fact all the appearances of young birds of the first year, have occasionally been found 
breeding, a circumstance which has induced many persons to believe them to be distinct ; as, however, 
I found in New South Wales individuals in a similar style of plumage in company and breeding with 
adult Melithrepti lunulati, I am induced to regard these dull-coloured birds as merely precocious examples 
of the respective species, affording additional evidence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian animals. 
The Melithreptus chloropsis is a native of Western Australia, where Mr. Gilbert states it is almost always 
found on the upper branches of the different species of Eucalypti, feeding upon the honey of the flowers 
and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered twit, but it occasionally emits a harsh, grating and 
lengthened cry. 
Its flight is of short duration, merely extending from tree to tree in undulating starts. 
The nest is usually suspended from the small branches near the top of the gum-trees, where the foliage 
is thickest, which renders it extremely difficult to detect. A nest found by Mr. Gilbert in October was 
formed of sheep’s wool and small twigs ; another found by him in November was attached to a small 
myrtle-like tree, in a thick gum forest, not more than three feet from the ground ; both these nests con- 
tained three eggs, nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad, of a deep reddish buff, thinly 
spotted all over, but particularly at the larger end, with dark reddish brown, some of the spots being indi- 
stinct, while others were very conspicuous. 
The stomach is somewhat muscular, but very diminutive in size, and the food consists of honey, the buds 
of flowers and small coleoptera. 
Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black ; crescent-shaped mark at the occiput and under sur- 
face white ; wings and tail brown, margined with greenish olive ; apical half of the external webs of the 
primaries narrowly edged with white ; irides dull red ; bill blackish brown ; naked space above the eye 
greenish white in some, in others pale wine-yellow ; tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish olive ; 
inside of the feet bright yellow. 
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. 
