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MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS, Gowa.

Swan River Honey-eater.

Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November, 1847.
Jin-gee, Aborigines of the lowland, and

Bun-géen, of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Ber-ril-ber-ril, Aborigines of Swan River.

 

Tis species differs from the Mehthreptus lunulatus in being of a larger size, and in having the bare space
above the eyes of a pale green instead of red; in other respects the two birds so closely assimilate, that
they are scarcely distinguishable from each other. Individuals in a browner and more dull style of
plumage, presenting in fact all the appearances of young birds of the first year, have occasionally been found
breeding, a circumstance which has induced many persons to believe them to be distinct ; as, however,
I found in New South Wales individuals in a similar style of plumage in company and breeding with
adult Melithrepti lunulat:, | am induced to regard these dull-coloured birds as merely precocious examples
of the respective species, affording additional evidence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian animals.

The Melithreptus chloropsis is a native of Western Australia, where Mr. Gilbert states it 1s almost always
found on the upper branches of the different species of Eucalypti, feeding upon the honey of the flowers
and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered ¢wit, but it occasionally emits a harsh, grating and
lengtiiened cry.

Its flight is of short duration, merely extending from tree to tree in undulating starts.

The nest is usually suspended from the small branches near the top of the gum-trees, where the foliage
is thickest, which renders it extremely difficult to detect. A nest found by Mr. Gilbert in October was
formed of sheep’s wool and small twigs; another found by him in November was attached to a small
myrtle-like tree, in a thick gum forest, not more than three feet from the ground; both these nests con-
tained three eggs, nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad, of a deep reddish buff, thinly
spotted all over, but particularly at the larger end, with dark reddish brown, some of the spots being indi-
stinct, while others were very conspicuous.

The stomach is somewhat muscular, but very diminutive in size, and the food consists of honey, the buds

of flowers and small coleoptera.

Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black ; crescent-shaped mark at the occiput and under sur-
margined with greenish olive 5 apical half of the external webs of the
bill blackish brown; naked space above the eye

and outer part of the feet light greenish olive ;

face white ; wings and tail brown,
primaries narrowly edged with white ; irides dull red ;
greenish white in some, in others pale wine-yellow ; tarsi
inside of the feet bright yellow.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.

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