THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
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Notes .—Inhabits the mangroves; similar in habits to the other Warb¬ 
lers; has a plaintive little song, also a harsh scolding note. 
Nest .—Similar to that of the Large-billed Warbler; very neatly made 
and composed of shreds of bark and spiders’ webs. Placed in a mangrove 
tree up to 8 feet or more from the ground. 
Eggs. —Two, white, with reddish-brown dots and splashes, rather 
freely distributed over the larger end. Breeding-season: October (Port 
Hedland). 
4. Mangrove-warbler Gerygone cantator Weatherill 
can-ta -tor — L., cantator, singer. 
Distribution. —South-eastern Queensland. 
Notes .— Also called Singing Warbler, Singing Fly-eater, and Queens¬ 
land Canary. Inhabits the mangroves and adjacent scrubs and gardens; 
it has a very melodious song; perhaps the finest among the Warblers; it 
frequents the leaves, branches, and blossoms of the mangroves and other 
flowering trees, seeking small insects of various kinds. 
Nest .— Similar to that of the other Warblers, but with a smaller and 
more slender appendage, composed of fibrous bark, fine roots, and dry 
grasses, firmly bound together with spiders’ webs and ornamented with 
their cocoons; lined with feathers, thistledown, and other soft material. 
Built in a mangrove tree at various heights from the ground. 
Eggs. —Three, pale pink, some speckled all over with reddish-brown 
spots, others with the spots forming a dark red zone at the larger end. 
Breeding-season: October to December. 
5. Dusky Honey-eater Myzomela obscura Gould 
myz-o-mel-a —Gk, myzein, to suck; Gk, melt, honey: ob-scur-a —L., ob - 
scums , dusky. 
Distribution .— Tropical northern Australia to southern Queensland. 
Notes .— Inhabits the mangroves, adjacent scrubs, and open forests, 
searching the twigs, leaves, and blossoms for insects and nectar. Food: 
insects and honey. 
Nest.—A small, frail, cup-shaped structure, composed chiefly of 
rootlets, thin grasses, and sometimes hair, suspended from near the ex¬ 
tremity of a long leafy branch of a tree or bush. 
Eggs.- —Usually two, white with a pale pinkish tinge, minutely spotted 
with reddish-brown, chestnut, and purplish-grey, these markings being 
confined chiefly to the larger end. Breeding-season: September to De¬ 
cember. 
6* Brown-backed Honey-eater Gliciphila niodesta Gray 
Gll-ciph -il-a Gk, glycys, sweet; Gk, philos, fond of: mod-est'-a —L., 
modestus, modest. 
Distribution .— ^Northern Queensland, from Cape York to Cairns; also 
occurs in the Aru Islands and New Guinea. 
