THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
106 
18. Black-chinned Honey-eater Melithreptus gularis Gould 
gu-ld'-ris— L., gularis, throated. 
distribution. Eastern and southern Australia. 
notes. Similar in habits to the White-naped Honey-eater, though 
more vigorous than that species. 
nest. A cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark and other 
materials, bound together with cobwebs; lined with hair and fur. 
Usually suspended from the foliage of a drooping branch of a tree, 
frequently a eucalypt, at a considerable height from the ground. 
eggs. Two or three, pale salmon-pink, well spotted and speckled 
with rich reddish-brown and purplish-grey markings, becoming con¬ 
fluent towards the larger end. Breeding-season: July to December. 
19. Golden-backed Honey-eater Melithreptus laetior Gould 
lae'-ti-or— L., laetior , more pleasing. 
distribution. Mid-western, central, and northern Australia. 
notes. Similar in habits to the Black-chinned Honey-eater. 
nest. Cup-shaped, built in the drooping leafy twigs of a bauhinia 
tree, about 10 feet from the ground (the only record). 
eggs. Probably two, pale fleshy-buff, which gradually passes into a 
warm reddish-buff on the larger end, where there are spots and blotches 
of a slightly darker hue, intermingled with underlying markings of 
faint purplish-buff. (Description of one egg taken in February.) 
20. Strong-billed Honey-eater Melithreptus validirostris Gould 
val-i-di-ros'-tris—L., validus , strong; L., rostrum , bill. 
distribution. Tasmania, King Island, and the Flinders Group 
only. 
notes. Usually in flocks, frequenting the leaves and blossoms of 
trees, chiefly eucalypts, in search of insects and nectar. It also has the 
habit of moving up and down the trunks of trees searching in the 
crevices of the bark for insect-life. 
nest. A deep, cup-shaped structure, composed of bark, grasses, and 
wool, lined with fine grasses. Generally suspended from the drooping 
branches of a tree at a considerable height from the ground. 
eggs. Usually three, pale pinkish-white, spotted and speckled with 
dark reddish-brown and purplish-grey markings, chiefly confined to 
the larger end. Breeding-season: July to December. 
21. Brown-headed Honey-eater Melithreptus brevirostris Vigors and 
Horsfield 
brev-i-ros'-tris— L., brevis , short; L., rostrum , bill. 
distribution. Southern Queensland to Victoria to south-western 
Australia, and King Island (Bass Strait). 
