THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
of a beautiful rich reddish-buff, becoming darker at the larger end, spotted and 
speckled (particularly at the larger eud) with reddish and purplish-brown. 
Swollen ovals in shape, surface of shell fine and slightly glossy. 23-24 by 17-18 mm. 
Nest. A cup-shaped and rather round structure ; composed of strips of stringy bark, 
lined with thistle-down and other soft material, and usually placed in the upright 
or horizontal fork of a tree, and frequently where young growth is sprouting out, 
and thus affording a good support. Dimensions over all, 4 to nearly 5 inches across, 
by 2 inches deep, and inside egg cavity 2| inches across by over an inch deep. 
Breeding-months. August to January. 
This beautiful bird was described by Latham in his General Synops. of Birds 
as the Black and Yellow Bee-eater, “from the drawings of Mr. Lambert.” 
When he drew up his Latin rendering in the Supplement II. to the General 
Synopsis of Birds he called it Merops phrygius and referred also to “ New 
Holland Birds, pi. .” 
In that place Merops phrygius was given by Shaw to this bird, which he 
called the Embroidered Merops, and the part of the publication in which the 
plate appeared was called Zoology of New Holland and had appeared in 1794. 
It was one of the few birds in Lewin's rare work where he had called it 
the Warty-faced Honey-eater and the same Latin name was used, apparently 
being written in in England, but the genus name Meliphaga was here 
introduced. 
Gould’s notes lead “ This is not only one of the handsomest of the Honey- 
eaters, but is also one of the most beautiful birds inhabiting Australia, the 
strongly contrasted tints of its black and yellow plumage rendering it a most 
conspicuous and pleasing object, particularly during flight. It is a stationary 
species, and enjoys a range extending from South Australia to New South 
Wales ; I also met with it in the interior nearly as far north as the latitude of 
Moreton Bay. Although it is very generally distributed, its presence appears 
to be dependent upon the state of the Eucalypti, upon whose blossoms it 
mainly depends for subsistence ; it is consequently only to be found in any 
particular locality during the season that those trees are in blossom. It 
generally resorts to the loftiest and most fully-flowered tree, where it frequently 
reigns supreme, buffeting and driving every other bird away from its immediate 
neighbourhood ; it is, in fact, the most pugnacious bird I ever saw, evincing 
particular hostility to the smaller Meliphagidce, and even to others of its own 
species that may venture to approach the trees upon which two or three have 
taken their station. While at Adelaide, in South Australia, I observed two 
pairs that had possessed themselves of one of the high trees that had been 
left standing in the middle of the city, which tree, during the whole period of 
my stay, they kept sole possession of, sallying forth and beating off every bird 
406 
