LITTLE YELLOW-SPOTTED HONEY-EATER. 
A clutch of two eggs of the more southern form taken near Cairns, North Queensland, 
on the 3rd of November, 1896, measure 18-20 by 14-15 mm. 
Nest. A cup-shaped structure, composed of shreds of bark, frequently covered with green 
moss, and lined with wild cotton and a silky substance collected from plants. 
Dimensions over all: about 3 inches across by 2 to 3 inches deep ; inside 2| inches 
across by nearly 1| inches deep. Nest generally placed from 8 to 14 feet up 
from the ground. 
Breeding-months, October to January. 
Macgillivray mentioned this bird from Cape York, whence it was described 
by Gould, but without giving any details as to its habits. 
Barnard then wrote : “ Inhabits forest country adjacent to scrubs. Found 
breeding in forest; two nests and clutches of eggs were taken.” 
Macgillivray’s next account reads “ This small Honey-eater was plentiful 
at Cape York in the open forest, but only occasional in the scrub. Stomach 
contents small berries,” and later added only : “ Lesser Yellow-spotted Honey- 
eaters were very common in the trees about our camp, and especially so after 
rain, winch drives them out of the scrub. They are fairly plentiful on the 
Archer Biver. Mr. McLennan found a pair building in a Melaleuca overhanging 
the river. The eggs of this Honey-eater are beautifully and richly coloured.” 
Campbell and Barnard wrote about the birds of the Cardwell District, 
North Queensland : “ The smaller Yellow-spotted Honey-eater was frequently 
noticed. It sometimes came into gardens after the flowering orange-trees, 
and was generally amongst the honey-eating birds that gathered about the 
flowering trees of the scrub. A nest was secured at the edge of a scrub in a 
low tree. It contained a pair of fresh eggs and was lined -with a snow-white 
downy material, the same as that used by the larger Yellow-eared Honey- 
eater (P. chrysotis). We witnessed one of these Honey-eaters attacking a large 
spider upon its web. The bird made several attempts to take the spider, which 
always fenced with its legs and kept the bird at bay. After several more 
attempts at capture by the bird while on the wing, without success, the 
doubtful morsel was abandoned.” 
When he received birds from the Torres Straits Islands for study Campbell 
wrote: “ One 3, one $. A typical pair, forming useful material and agreeing 
with skins from the Cape York mainland. Birds Mr. H. G. Barnard and I 
obtained in Cardwell Scrubs are apparently slightly darker above and lighter 
on the under-surface, especially the throat—the result of different environment, 
doubtless—but there is not the slightest ornithological or other need to 
emphasize trinomially such natural variation in plumage.” Since this was 
written Campbell has described a number of subspecies on the same grounds 
as he here depreciated, so that we are in agreement upon this subject at last. 
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