9 6 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
13. White-plumed Honey-eater Meliphaga penicillata Gould 
pen-i-cill-a-ta —L., penicillatus, pencilled. 
Distribution. —Australia (except the Northern Territory and 
northern Queensland). 
Notes .—Also called Greenie, Linnet, Chickoowee, Ringeye, Ringneck, 
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 eucalypt, 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 sim¬ 
ilar 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. Breed¬ 
ing-season: August to the end of November, sometimes extending to 
J anuary. & 
15. Painted Honey-eater Grantiella picta Gould 
Grant-i-eV-lar—NJ. R. Ogilvie Grant (1863-1924), Keeper of Bird 
Department, British Museum: pic'-ta —L., pictu Sj painted/ 
Distribution .—Interior of eastern Australia; South Australia Vic- 
^Triton')" « U ' e " sl »'’ d "> McArthur River^f Northern 
^lh,v>n V °^‘ r T l ! SUall I pairs ’ frequenting the outer foliage of trees 
chiefl y eucalypts and oaks, and feeding mainly on mistletoe berries This 
speaes is a medium for distributing the mistletoe plant. Call-note a 
monotonous, see-saw whistle. F ’ 
lets and' t heTneec/le'si -m r rM’ CUp ' sh f a P. ed structure, composed of fine root- 
hou„ d X St 
