I. Harman—Two Handsome Honey eaters



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But the vast majority of these birds are small in size, from that

of a Willow Warbler to a Hawfinch, and of extremely graceful shape,

with slender bills fitted for probing flowers, and a kind of brush at the

tip of their long tongues. It would be useless to try to review such

a vast family in a single article, and so I will confine my remarks to

two species, familiar to me from personal observation, which have

recently been imported in small numbers.


First, the White-bearded Honeyeater (Meliornis novae-hollandiae),

a striking little bird with fierce-looking white eyes. The coloration

is not very easy to describe. The head is glossy jet black ; a white

line over the eye ; a tuft of silky white feathers on each side of the

throat, and another similar tuft lower down on each side of the neck.

The upper parts are mottled brown and black ; wings and tail black

and chocolate brown, with a conspicuous patch of lemon yellow on

the outer edges of the wing quills ; under parts white, thickly striped

with black ; irides white ; bill sharp-pointed, black ; length, about


inches. Habitat: Tasmania, Bass Strait Islands, New South Wales,

Victoria, South Australia, and the more southerly part of Queensland.


Though normally found in almost any type of country where there

are any flowering trees, this bird is easily attracted in great numbers

to any garden in its native land by planting a species of Laburnum

{ Cytisus) popularly called the Tree Lucerne. This tree, a number

of which were growing in the garden of a house in Tasmania where

I lived for some years, bears masses of white pea-type blooms all

the winter months.


As soon as the autumn days arrived, so came the White-bearded

Honeyeaters. During the summer they moved away from the coastal

scrubs into the cool, heavily timbered gullies and mountain sides,

where they breed. Besides the White-bearded species, several smaller

kinds would approach the trees, but alas ! the White-bearded is as

fierce as he looks, and is a regular little demon towards his brother

Honeyeaters.


Almost any time I entered the garden one of these Honeyeaters

would be found perching cheekily on the highest twig of a bush, chatter¬

ing away in its characteristic monotonous, rasping, chattering voice,

apparently issuing a challenge to all and sundry. Sooner or later his



