PLATE XV 
BIRDS OF THE BLOSSOMS AND OUTER FOLIAGE 
1. Yellow-breasted Sunbird Cyrtostomus frenatus S. Muller 
—1A. Female 
Cyr'-to-stom-us— Gk, cyrtos (kurtos), curved; Gk, stoma, mouth: fren - 
a'-tus— L., frenatus, bridled. 
distribution. North-eastern Queensland to as far south as Yep* 
poon; also occurs in the Celebes, New Guinea, Admiralty Islands, 
and Solomon Islands. 
notes. Usually in pairs, flitting about the flowering trees and shrubs 
seeking insects and nectar, occasionally darting out to capture an 
insect on the wing; it has the true humming-bird habit of hovering 
near flowers. As it flits from flower to flower it utters a note like “Tsee- 
tsee", while its song is a pretty, tremulous warble. 
nest. A long, oval-shaped structure with a tail-piece, the side en¬ 
trance being protected by a hood. Composed of pieces of bark, bark- 
fibre, dried grasses, rootlets, and dead leaves, held together with 
cobwebs; lined with fine grasses and plant down. Frequently sus¬ 
pended from a twig of a small bush, often close to the ground and 
sometimes fastened to suspended pieces of rope or other suitable 
material hanging about houses, especially verandas. 
eggs. Two or three, pale greenish-grey, speckled and mottled nearly 
all over, particularly at the larger end, with umber markings. Breeding- 
season: September to January or February. 
2. Grey-backed Silver-eye Zosterops halmaturina A. G. Campbell 
T.ds-tcr'-ops— Gk, zoster, belt; Gk, ops, face: halmaturina, so called from 
L., halmaturus = kangaroo = Kangaroo Island. 
distribution. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and 
Tasmania; also occurs in New Zealand and Chatham Island. 
notes. Usually in pairs or flocks, according to the season of the 
year. Habits similar to those of the better-known Grey-breasted Silver- 
eye. 
nest. A small, cup-shaped structure, composed of fine grasses, 
horse-hair, and other materials, well matted and fastened together with 
cobwebs and spiders’ cocoons; lined with fine grasses and sometimes 
with horse-hair. Usually placed in a horizontal fork of a bush or small 
tree, at heights up to 15 feet from the ground. 
eggs. Three to four, pale bluish-green. Breeding-season: September 
to January or February. 
