WHITE-PLUMED HONEY-EATER. 
and red gums. It is also nearly always to be met with about dwellings where 
there is a garden or an orchard. In Victoria, about Melbourne and Geelong, 
it is one of the commonest birds, so it seems strange it is not found near the 
coast about Sydney ; or, I believe, in any coastal part of New South Wales. 
When feeding and undisturbed it usually utters only a single note, but let an 
Owl or a Hawk appear, it is the first bird to give a warning of danger, when 
it utters veiy different notes, a succession of notes rapidly poured forth, and 
several of the birds will soon appear within a few feet of the intruder, all 
joining in with their warning babble. Here each year several pairs breed in my 
garden, even in the climbing roses on the verandah.” 
D’Ombrain has recorded an instance of this species acting as a bee 
killer: “ Mr. W. McLellan, of this town (Casterton, Vic.), has some tree- 
lucerne plants and just now they are in full bloom. Noticing a large number 
of dead bees on the ground, he examined them and found their bodies 
crushed. There were dozens of them. Very soon a solution of the cause of 
their death was arrived at, for he watched the ‘ Greenies ’ or White-plumed 
Honey-eaters (P. penicillata) snap every bee that came to the blossoms. The 
birds simply gave the bees a crunch or two and dropped them.” 
Another interesting note by Dr. Cleland may be here quoted: “ The 
presence of a bird of prey hr the neighbourhood of Honey-eaters of this species 
is at once notified, as in the case of the Miner (Manorhina garrula), by the loud 
alarm notes they utter. In September, 1905, I found them at fault through 
a mistake. A great chattering and screeching of ‘ Greenies ’ was heard, and 
on going to ascertain the cause found some dozen of them, much excited, 
flying down on to a low overhanging branch and back again, screaming and 
fluttering. On the ground just below was the wing of a brown bird, lying 
flat, which somehow to our eyes suggested a coiled snake or lizard. We 
believe that the Honey-eaters also supposed it to be of this nature, and were 
making efforts in their own way to drive it off. Has anyone noticed their 
behaviour, or that of Miners, towards snakes ? Is it possible that, in some 
of the supposed instances where snakes have ‘ charmed ’ birds towards them, the 
real explanation is that the birds have been trying to drive the intruder off and at 
last have unintentionally approached too near the enemy and so perished ? 
Dr. Cleland has written me : “ Sometimes, especially before daybreak on 
hot mornings, they utter a powerful note, not unlike that of a Goldfinch, but 
shorter. On summer mornings they are often seen rising up in the air by steps, 
singing another pretty song-note ; then suddenly the song ceases and t lej 
swoop into their tree. On May 18th, 1895, I saw a pail of young emg e 
and protected by parents, feathers still fluffy, hardly any tail, an evince 
no fear on having missiles thrown at them. 
VOL. XI. 
553 
