THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
18. Singing Honey-eater Meliphaga veriscens Vieillot 
x’ir-es'-cens— L., virescens, greenish. 
distribution. Australia generally (inland in New South Wales). 
notes. Also called Dairy-bird. Usually in pairs, frequenting chiefly 
low scrub-lands such as mulga, neelia, and mallee, and flowering scrub 
trees. The name “Singing Honey-eater” is misleading, for its song is 
limited; its usual call-note is “Preet, preet, preet”; another call is a 
plaintive mew. Food: insects, seeds, native fruits, and berries. 
nest. A well-made, cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of 
bark and grasses; lined with fur, wool, or other soft materials. Usually 
suspended from a fork of a low bush. 
eggs. Two or three, pale pinkish-buff, with a few minute brownish 
specks scattered about the larger end. Breeding-season: August to 
December; the breeding-season in inland districts is regulated by 
the rains. 
19. Bridled Honey-eater Meliphaga frenata Ramsay 
fren-a'-ta— L., frenatus, bridled. 
distribution. Northern Queensland (Cairns and Cardwell dis¬ 
tricts). 
notes. In pairs or small flocks, chiefly frequenting the flowering 
eucalypts of the mountain ranges. Food: insects, nectar, native fruits, 
and berries. 
nest. A cup-shaped structure, composed of twigs from various climb¬ 
ing plants and portions of soft fern-stems; lined with fine fibre and 
other materials. Usually suspended from a scrub tree. 
eggs. Two, white, spotted and blotched, particularly at the larger 
end, with reddish-brown, brownish-grey, and purplish-grey markings. 
Breeding-season: probably October to January. 
20. Helmeted Honey-eater Meliphaga cassidix Gould 
cass'-i-dix— L., cassidix, helmeted. 
distribution. Southern Victoria (Dandenong and Gippsland 
Ranges). 
notes. In small parties, inhabiting the scrubs during the spring 
and summer and the big timber in the autumn and winter. An ex¬ 
tremely pugnacious bird, vigorously attacking other species which 
enter its territory; it has a variety of call-notes, which are uttered 
while feeding or when flying from tree to tree. Food: chiefly insects, 
procured among the leaves, in crevices of bark, or on the wing. 
nest. A deep, cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark, 
fine grass, and leaves; lined with soft bark and other materials. 
Usually suspended from the branch of a bush or small tree. 
eggs. Usually two, pale flesh-coloured, with rounded spots of 
reddish-brown and purplish-grey markings, particularly at the larger 
end. Breeding-season: August to December. 
