THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
top of the head; a dark spot in front of the eye ; a yellow streak from the gape 
to below the eye ; hinder face marked with sulphur-yellow ; under-surface greyish- 
white on the throat, becoming greyish on the breast, and white on the abdomen 
and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts huffy-white ; under-surface of fliglit- 
quills pale brown with white margins ; lower aspect of tail similar to its upper-surface. 
Eyes hazel, bill orange, legs and feet flesh. Collected at Killerberin, South-west 
Australia, on the 6th of January, 1903. 
Eggs. Two eggs usually form the clutch. A clutch of two eggs taken at Kow Plains, 
North-west Victoria, on the 16tli of September, 1912, is of a beautiful salmon-pink 
ground-colour, spotted (particularly at the larger end) with rich or dark reddish- 
brown and purplish-grey markings. Ovals in shape. Surface of shell smooth 
and slightly glossy. A. 19-21 by 14 mm. 
Nest. A neat cup-shaped structure, composed of grasses and thin strips of bark and placed 
in a small tree or bush. Dimensions over all: 2\ to 3 inches by 1| to If inches 
by depth. 
Cup-shaped, suspended from a twig by the rims. Composed entirely of fine green 
grass, with no lining. Pieces of thistledown and spiders’ cocoons on the outside. 
The nest has very thin sides. Inside measurements : 1| inches deep by almost 2 
wide. 
Cup-shaped, lightly' constructed of fine grass intermingled with spiders’ webs. 
Inside measurements : If inches by 1. (South Australia.) 
Breeding-months. August to end November, even to January. 
This is another of the birds described by Gould before he went to 
Australia and of which he later wrote: “It was a source of much gratification 
to myself to have unexpectedly found tins elegant little bird in that rich 
arboretum, the Belts of the Murray, which had already supplied me with so 
many novelties. It was there confined to trees of a dwarf growth, while in 
the country in the neighbourhood of Swan River I am informed it is seen on 
the topmost branches of the gum and mahogany trees, clinging and flitting 
about the blossoms, not unfrequently descending to the ground and hopping 
about beneath the branches and near the boles of the larger trees, doubtless 
in search of insects. It has rather a loud ringing and not unpleasing song, 
which is constantly poured forth. 
Mr. Sandland has written me : “ Very common at Burra, South Australia,” 
and Captain S. A. White also sends me a note : “A common bird in many 
places in South Australia, especially Eyre’s Peninsula. I have also found 
them fairly numerous in the Mallee round Ooldea on the edge of the Nullarbor 
Plain. They are to be met with both in the Mallee and in the big gum 
country in South Australia, where they begin nesting in September or late in 
August. The nest is a cup-shaped structure of dry grass, cobwebs and 
rootlets, generally suspended hi a drooping bunch of gum leaves. The 
usual clutch is three. Like so many of the Honey-eaters, insects play a big 
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