Mf : w n :j a Fir 
YELLOW-FRONTED HONEY-EATER. 
Juvenile. General colour of the upper-surface dull olive-green, including the top of the 
bead, hind-neck, sides of neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, wings and tail; 
inner webs of flight-quills dark brown margined with yellowish-white ; sides of 
face only partially feathered, similar to the back but paler; lores blackish ; ear- 
coverts sulphur-yellow ; chin and throat yellowish-white ; breast and abdomen 
similar to the uppor-surface but much paler ; sides of body, vent, and under tail- 
coverts inclining to grey; thighs pale rust-colour ; marginal under wing-coverts 
yellowish-buff; under-surface of flight-quills dark brown margined with yellow ; 
lower aspect of tail similar to its upper-surface. Eyes black, feet lavender, bill 
black, palate chrome-yellow, gape lemon-yellow. Collected at the Cable Station, 
Capo York, North Queensland, on the 10th of July, 1913. 
Eggs. Two eggs usually form the clutch, and very seldom three are met with. A clutch 
of two eggs taken at Tinaroo scrubs, Barron River, North Queensland, on the 
9th of November, 1908, is of a beautiful pearly-white, boldly spotted with deep 
chestnut, and a few markings of purplish-brown, confined cluefly to the larger end 
of each egg. Rather oval in shape, surface of shell fine and slightly glossy. 
Nest. A rather deep cup-shaped structure, composed of pieces of bark and dead leaves, 
woven together with wild cotton, and lined with wild cotton or silky down from 
plants, suspended by the rim in a small fork of a tree or shrub, usually in dense 
scrub, and placed at heights varying from 4 to 12 feet from the ground. Dimensions 
over all about 4 inches across by 3 inches deep ; inside 3 inches across by 2 inches 
deep. 
Breeding-months. October to March. 
When Gould described Ptilotis notata from Cape York he wrote : “ This species 
is allied, on the one hand, to the large Ptilotis chrysotis, and, on the other, to 
the small P. gracilis ; its most remarkable feature, when compared with these 
birds, is its long and stout bill, which is both longer and stouter than that of 
the fonner species ; in all its other admeasurements it is considerably smaller, 
while they much exceed those of the P. gracilis. It is closely allied to, but 
quite distinct from, the P. similis of the Aru Islands. Gilbert collected this 
bird at Brown’s Lagoon, on the 20th December, 1844, when travelling with 
Leichardt from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, and I have lately received 
specimens through Mr. Jar dine from the Cape York district of Queensland.” 
Macgillivray mentioned it on the Great Barrier Reef Islands and Barnard 
wrote from Cape York : Very common. Breeds in the shrubs on the edges 
of scrub and along watercourses.” 
Macgillivray’s further notes read : “ At Cape York this Honey-eater was 
numerous in the scrubs, but only occasional in the open forest or mangroves. 
It nests in the summer months, the nest being placed low down, and usually 
containing two eggs. One nest found in the scrub on the 7th February, 1911, 
contained two eggs of this Honey-eater and one Cuckoo egg similar to those 
found in the nests of Glyciphila modesta. Stomach contents, stems and seeds 
of berries.” He later added “ Was common both in open forest and scrub. 
A few were in scrub along the Archer River.” 
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