HELMETED HONEY-EATER. 
the head a peculiar little jerk upwards and raise the tail slightly. One of 
the notes, generally uttered when flying from tree to tree, much resembles 
the note of the White-naped Honey-eater. Another may be translated as 
* Churl, Churl, Churl, Churl,’ while the nesting note which is the most beautiful 
of all, and which is usually uttered when the bird is sitting at the side of the 
nest, may be rendered thus : ‘ Jor, Jor, Jor, Jor, Jor, Jiree, Jiree, Jiree, Jiree,’ 
the 1 Jiree ’ portion being a semitone higher than the rest. During the nesting 
season they are extremely savage and vigorously attack anything and every¬ 
thing in the feathered line that comes their way, and indeed frequently go 
considerably out of then- way to give battle to an often unsuspecting enemy. 
One of the prettiest sights we have seen was a case in which a flock of Sittellas 
(Neo-sitta chrysoptera) happened to approach the outskirts of a ‘ Cassidix ’ 
domain. The Honey-eater, spying the Sittellas, speedily set out to meet 
them, and his onslaught was so severe that they were all forced to take wing, 
when in sheep-dog fashion he rounded the stragglers into the centre of the 
flock and kept them well bunched together until he had driven them from 
the locality. Harmonious Shrike Thrushes, White-shouldered Caterpillar 
Catchers, Coachwhip Birds, and indeed all birds which incur his displeasure, 
find it wise to keep at a distance, as his swiftness of flight and boldness make 
him an enemy to be feared. These birds are fond of the company of their 
own kind, and will never be found in parties of less than two or three pairs 
in each locality, and these will usually nest in an area of a few hundred square 
yards. Frequently you will see five or six birds, flying in single file from 
one tree top to another, and it is a lovely sight to watch them as they flash 
in and out of the leafy branches, chasing one another and performing all 
manner of evolutions. In the winter months they seem to leave their summer 
quarters and repair to the big timber, but always return to exactly the same 
spot as the breeding season approaches. During the breeding season they 
subsist almost entirely on an insectivorous diet, and indeed we have only 
on one occasion and that in the depth of ■winter seen them partaking of nectar. 
In their search for insects they obtain them from three sources : firstly from 
the green gum-leaves, secondly by diligently searching the loose baik and 
tree trunks, and thirdly by taking them on the wing. In the act of taking 
insects while flying they have no superiors, hovering, stopping and turning 
in a manner that would make most of the Flycatchers appear to be novices. 
Beetles, flies, caterpillars, small spiders, etc., all are taken and occasionally 
small moths. 
“The favourite nesting site is. a low bush growing out of the bark of a 
creek, and the task of building is carried on after sundown and in the ear y 
morning. 
VOL. xi. 
505 
