96 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
13. White-plumed Honey-eater Meliphaga penicillata Gould 
pen-i-cill-d'-ta— L., penicillatus, pencilled. 
distribution. Australia (except the Northern Territory and 
northern Queensland). 
notes. Also called Greenie, Linnet, Chickoowee, Ringeye, Ring- 
neck, and Australian Canary. Very plentiful in forest-lands generally, 
also common in gardens. Exceptionally lively and noisy, it is constantly 
on the move among the flowers and leaves, chattering and uttering 
its powerful note “Chick-oo-wee”. Food: insects, nectar, and pollen. 
nest. An open, cup-shaped structure, composed of grasses bound 
together with cobwebs; lined with wool or hair. Usually suspended 
from the thin twigs of a drooping branch of a tree, mostly a cucalypt, 
at various heights from the ground. 
eggs. Usually three, pale pinkish-white, spotted, particularly at the 
larger end, with small markings of reddish-brown, pinkish-brown, and 
purplish-grey. Breeding-season: June to December; often as late as 
April. 
14. Yellow-plumed Honey-eater Meliphaga ornata Gould 
or-na'-ta—L., ornatus, adorned. 
distribution. Mallee districts of Victoria, South Australia to 
south-western Australia; occasionally visits New South Wales. 
notes. Plentiful in open forest, mallee, and scrub-lands. Very similar 
in habits to the White-plumed Honey-eater. Food: insects, nectar, 
and pollen. 
nest. A neat, cup-shaped structure, composed of grasses and strips 
of bark, with no lining; some nests have thistledown and spiders' 
cocoons on the outside. Generally placed in a small bush or tree. 
eggs. Usually two, salmon-pink, spotted, particularly at the larger 
end, with rich or dark reddish-brown and purplish-grey markings. 
Breeding-season: August to the end of November, sometimes extending 
to January. 
15. Painted Honey-eater G rantiella picta Gould 
Grant-i-el'-la—\V. R. Ogilvie Grant (1863-1924), Keeper of Bird 
Department, British Museum: pic'-ta— L., pictus, painted. 
distribution. Interior of eastern Australia; South Australia, Vic¬ 
toria, New South Wales, Queensland to McArthur River (Northern 
Territory). 
notes. Usually in pairs, frequenting the outer foliage of trees, 
chiefly eucalypts and oaks, and feeding mainly on mistletoe berries. 
This species is a medium for distributing the mistletoe plant. Call-note, 
a monotonous, seesaw whistle. 
nest. A rather flimsy, cup-shaped structure, composed of fine root¬ 
lets and the needle-shaped leaves of the she-oak ( Casuarina ), matted 
and bound together with cobwebs. Usually suspended from, and 
