BLUE-FACED HONEY-EATER, 
deserted, dome-shaped, large nest of the Pomatostomus temporalis, so numerous 
in the Apple-tree Flats in the district of the Upper Hunter, never within the 
dome, but in a neat round depression on the top. I had many opportunities 
of driving the female olf the nest, and I can therefore speak with confidence 
as to this fact. It commences breeding early, and rears at least two broods 
in the year; on reference to my notebook I find I saw fully-fledged young 
on the 19th of November, and that I took many of their eggs in December.” 
Capt. S. A. White writes : “ Entomyzon cyanotis. Have met with this 
bird in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia. As far as the latter 
State is concerned, I feel sure that this bird has come down the River Murray 
to the lower reaches only of late years, for I have been on the Murray River 
from time to time since 1882, and it is only within the last twelve years that 
I have met with it as low down as Mannum. The habits of this species seem 
the same in all the States mentioned above. They will frequent the flowering 
euealypts for honey contained in the blossoms, and insects if there are any; 
they will also take berries, insects forming much of their food. At Leaton, 
N.S.W., I observed these birds hawking for insects. Several Blue-faced Honey- 
eaters were in a bushy-topped box-tree and in company with other species they 
sallied out and hovered here and there as they captured flying insect life.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor has written me : “ This bird is not so widely distributed 
as some of the other large Honey-eaters, being more local in its habits. I saw’ 
it along the River Murray in December, 1913, while going from Murray Bridge 
to near Renmark; the birds were scarce on the lower reaches of the river, 
but plentiful higher up stream. I was told it was the first season it had come 
so low down as Mannum, where I first came across it on that trip. It had 
been breeding in the immediate locality, as I secured a young bird that was 
being fed by its parents, on insects, as it flew about the larger gum-trees 
uttering a plaintive call to the old birds. The latter wei'e extremely pugilistic 
towards the other birds which came near, and would dart at them from time 
to time and drive them away. The bare space around the eyes of the old 
birds was a brilliant colour of peacock- and indigo-blues of various shades, 
tinged with yellow, thus causing a greenish shade in places ; at death these 
elegant colours quickly faded. The female is not so bright in coloration, 
resembling more the young birds in the colour of the face.” 
Mr. A. H. Mattingley has also sent me details of coloration of the soft 
and facial parts of old and young birds, and Mr. H. L. White also forwarded 
me S. W. Jackson’s data with sketch. All agree as to face coloration, but 
Mellor gives bill of male as whitish-blue at the base, very dark horn at the tip, 
and feet bluish-horn. Mattingley states lower mandible near gape cserulean- 
blue, both mandibles from base to nostrils whitish cobalt-green, tip black, and 
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