The Little Humming-bikd. BIRDS. The New Holland Honey-eater. 313 
down of aeeds. There are several other species of this 
genus — all exhibiting the same metallic brilliancy in 
their gorgets. 
THE LITTLE HUMMING-BIRD {Mellisuga minima), 
which may he regarded as the smallest known species 
of this family, as it measures only about two inches and 
a half in length, is an inhabitant of Jamaica and St. 
Domingo. The male of this little feathered fairy has 
the upper parts dark shining green, the wings purplish- 
brown, and the tail black ; the lower surface is white, 
speckled with black on the chin and throat, and tinged 
with green on the abdomen ; the hill and feet are black. 
The female greatly resembles the male, hut has the 
whole lower surface pure white, and the lateral tail 
feathers tipp'ed with white. Of this species Mr. Gosse 
says — “ The present is the only Humming-bird with 
which I am acquainted that has a real song. Soon 
after sunrise in the spring months, it is fond of sitting- 
on the topmost twig of a mango or orange-tree, where 
it warbles in a very weak but very sweet tone, a con- 
tinuous melody for ten minutes at a time. It has little 
variety. The others have only a pertinacious chirping.” 
The charming writer just quoted also gives us the 
following graphic description of the manners of this 
diminutive creature : — “ I have sometimes watched 
with great delight,” he says, “ the evolutions of this 
little species at a moringa-tree. When only one is 
present, he pursues the round of the blossoms soberly 
enough, sucking as he goes, and every now and anon, 
sitting quietly on a twig. But if two are about the 
tree, one will fly off, and, suspending himself in the air 
a few yards distant, the other presently shoots off to 
him, and there without touching each other, they mount 
upwards with a strong rushing of wings, perhaps for 
five hundred feet. They then separate, and each shoots 
diagonally towards the ground like a ball from a rifle, 
and, wheeling round, comes up to the blossoms again, 
and sucks, and sucks, as if it had not moved away at all. 
Frequently one alone will mount in this manner, or dart 
on invisible wing diagonally upward, looking exactly 
like a Humble bee.” Mr. Gosse also states that this 
is the only Jamaican Humming-bird that haunts the 
low growing plants of the pastures ; he says it is exceed- 
ingly partial to the West Indian Vervain {Stachytar- 
pheta). The nest is a minute cup-shaped structure 
placed upon or between the twigs of trees, &c. ; it is 
composed of silk eotton (the down of the Bomhax), and 
ornamented externally with fragments of lichen. 
Family IV.— MELIPHAGIDHU. 
Just as the Humming-birds are confined to the con- 
tinent of America and its islands, the small flower- 
haunting birds of the present family are peculiar to 
Australia, a very few species only being met with else- 
where, and these only in New Guinea and New Zealand 
— countries, which, in so many cases, appear to harbour 
the outlying members of truly Australian groups. 
The Meliphayidm or Honey-eaters have usually a 
long, curved, and acute hill, of which the upper man- 
dible is generally notched faintly at the tip ; the nos- 
trils are placed in a large groove, and usually covered 
with a membranous scale; the tail is elongated, and 
VoL. I. 4° 
wedge-shaped, and the first three (piills of the rather 
short wings are graduated ; that is, they gradually 
increase in length to the third ; the tarsi are short 
and stout, and terminated by long toes, of which the 
outer is always united to the middle one at the base. 
Another character presented by these birds consists in 
the structure of the tongue, which is not only long and 
protrusihle as in the Humming-birds, hut furnished at 
its tip with a small tuft or brush of delicate filaments, 
which are of the greatest seriice to the birds in sweep- 
ing out the honey and pollen, and with these the 
minute beetles and other insects from the flowers, 
which they so assiduously frequent. These substances 
constitute the food of nearly all the species, although 
some also eapture insects from the leaves and brandies 
of trees, and a few are said to feed partly upon fruits. 
Few of them possess any power of song. 
THE NEW HOLLAND HONEY-EATER {Meliphaga 
Novce Hollandice), the type of the typical genus of 
this family, is one of the most abundant birds in the 
southern and eastern colonies of Australia and in Van 
Diemen’s Land, hut does not occur in Western Aus- 
tralia. It is not migratory, hut appears occasionally 
to quit one district for another, probably in search of 
some more attractive food ; but from its partiality for 
the Banlcsiai, which grow principally on barren sandy 
districts bordering the coasts, it is usually seen most 
abundantly in the vicinity of the sea, and becomes 
more rare in the interior of the country. The total 
length of this bird is about seven inches. The upper 
surface is brownish-black, the lower surface white 
streaked with black ; the head and cheeks are black, 
with the forehead, a streak over each eye, and a small 
patch behind the ears white ; the quill feathers of the 
wings and the lateral feathers of the tail are broadly 
margined externally, from the base to near the tip, with 
bright yellow ; the two centre feathers of the tail are 
entirely brownish-black ; the remainder have a white 
spot at the tip. This bird breeds commonly in the 
gardens of the colonists, and rears two or three broods 
in the season. The nest is usually placed in a shrub or 
bush at about eighteen inches or two feet from the 
ground ; it is composed of sticks, grass, and bark, and 
lined with vegetable downy matter. The eggs are two 
or three in number, of a pale hulf colour, and speckled 
with chestnut brown, especially towards the larger end. 
THE LONG -BILLED HONEY -EATER {Meliphaga 
longirostris). This species, which very closely resem- 
bles the preceding, and indeed differs from it principally 
in the greater length and stoutness of the hill, replaces 
it in the -western parts of the Australian continent, 
being found, according to Mr. Gould, in “ all those 
districts of the Swan River settlement in which there 
are Banksias.” The habits of the two birds are very 
similar. Two other nearly allied species, the White- 
Cheeked and the Moustached Honey-Eater {M. 
sericea and mystacalis), are in like manner mutually 
representative in eastern and western Australia, the 
former being found in New South Wales, and the latter 
in the Swan River district. 
THE TASMANIAN HONEY-EATER {Meliphaga aus- 
tralasiana), a small species about five inches and a half 
in length, appears to he peculiar to Van Diemen’s Land, 
