YELLOW-PLUMED HONEY-EATER. 
part in their diet. Their note is a sharp one and they are very active little 
birds. I have not seen them in the interior.” 
Mr. E. E. Howe wrote me : “Was exceedingly plentiful from Tailem 
Bend to Kow Plains and many nests containing eggs and young were noticed. 
Young are bom blind and featherless, gape and mouth orange.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor also wrote: “ This bird is plentiful in the Mallee and 
timbered country of South Australia, especially towards the west on Eyre 
Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula and away towards the West Australian 
border; in these places it takes the place of the White-plumed Honey-eater 
(P. pencillata) of the Adelaide Plains and hills. While travelling in various 
places I have had many opportunities of studying them; their habits very 
nearly assimilate those of the White-plumed species, sucking honey from the 
various eucalyptus flowers and may also be seen searching for insect food 
amongst the foliage of both the tall and dwarfed trees, and at times sallying 
out into mid-air in pursuit of some insect on the wing, catching it with 
dexterity and returning to the tree to eat the tit-bit. The nesting time is 
from September to November, but they sometimes start about the end of 
August and continue until January if the season be favourable, laying at least 
twice.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin has written me from Cobbora, New South Wales: 
“ It is rather an unusual thing to see this species in this district, but towards 
the end of July, 1914, they were here in incredible numbers ; no matter where 
I went them cheerful notes could be heard coming from hundreds, in some 
places thousands, of birds the whole day long. I doubt if I ever heard the 
voices of such a number of birds of any one species at the same time in this 
district. They did not remain to breed, but disappeared just as quickly as 
they arrived. With the exception of the time mentioned I have only seen 
small flocks migrating. During 1915 they were flying past my house for 
weeks, flock after flock, all coming and going in the same direction, and they 
must have come from some district where they had just finished breeding 
because most of the birds were in a very immature state of plumage and 
some which I shot for identification appeared to have been only a few days 
out of the nest. I note you did not give this species as occurring in this 
State.” 
Chandler, writing about the birds on Kow Plains, Victoria, stated: 
“ This is the common Honey-eater of the Mallee. The birds are to be seen 
literally in thousands. Dozens of nests were found, in most cases situated 
in the mallee leaves.” 
Mr. Tom Carter has given me the following note : “In your Reference 
List,’ 1912, the range of the Yellow-plumed Honey-eater is given as West 
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