BIRDS OF THE BLOSSOMS AND OUTER FOLIAGE 
107 
Nest .—An open, cup-shaped structure, composed of bark, grasses, 
horse-hair, and cow-hair, neatly built, and bound with cobweb and spiders’ 
egg-bags; lined with hair or fur. Usually suspended from the drooping 
branches of a eucalypt tree. 
£^i.—Two or three, pale reddish-buff, spotted and finely speckled 
with reddish-brown and purplish-grey markings, confined chiefly to the 
larger end. Breeding-season: August to December. 
22. Black-headed Honey-eater Melithreptus affinis Lesson 
af-fln'-is —L., affinis, allied. 
Distribution .—Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait. 
Notes .—Usually in flocks, frequenting, chiefly, the outer foliage and 
blossoms of gum-trees; it also visits gardens and orchards, doing con¬ 
siderable damage to the smaller fruits. It has a short, sharp call-note, 
repeated several times. Food: insects, nectar, and cultivated fruits. 
Nest .—A rather deep, cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of 
bark, wool, and cobwebs; warmly lined with hair, fur, and feathers. Usu¬ 
ally suspended from the small twigs at the end of a drooping branch of a 
eucalypt tree; frequently built high up from the ground. 
Eggs .—Two or three, pale flesh-pink, minutely spotted and speckled 
with reddish-brown and dull purplish-grey markings, confined chiefly to 
the larger end. Breeding-season: October to the end of December. 
