MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS , Gould.
Swan River Honey-eater.
Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November, 1847.
Jih-gee, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Bim-gben, of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Ber-ril-bef'-ril, Aborigines of Swan River.
T h is species differs from the Melithreptus lunulatus in being of a larger size, and in having the bare space
above the eyes of a pale green instead o f 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
adiilt Melithrepti lunulati, I am induced to regard these dull-coloured birds as merely precocious examples
of the respective species, affording additional evidence o f the extreme fecundity of the Australian animals.
The Melithreptus chloropsis is a native of Western Australia, where Mr. Gilbert states it is almost always
found on the upper branches o f the different species of Eucalypti, feeding upon the honey of the flowers
and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered twit, but it occasionally emits a harsh, grating and
lengthened 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 contained
three eggs, nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad, o f a deep reddish buff, thinly
spotted all over, but particularly at the larger end, with dark reddish brown, some o f the spots being indistinct,
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 coleóptera.
Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black ; crescent-shaped mark at the occiput and under surface
white ; wings and tail brown, margined with greenish olive; apical half of the external webs o f the
primaries narrowly edged with white; irides dull red; bill blackish brown; naked space above the eye
greenish white in some, in others pale wine-yellow ; tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish olive;
inside of the feet bright yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.