The YELLOW-THROATED TUFTED HONEY-EATER (_Ptilotis flavigula_) is yellowish
green on the back, wings, and tail. The dark grey under side glistens
with a silver sheen; the belly and sides are pale olive, the top of the
head dark grey, and the throat bright yellow. The feathers that compose
the ear-tufts are tipped with yellow, and the outer web of the quills is
deep brown. The eye is brown, the beak black, and the foot lead-grey; the
gullet and tongue are of a brilliant orange-red. The length of this bird
is eight inches; the wing measures four inches and a half, and the tail
four inches and a quarter.
"This fine and conspicuous species," says Gould, "is abundant in all the
ravines around Hobart Town, and is very generally spread over the whole
of Van Dieman's Land, to which island I believe it to be exclusively
confined. It is very animated and sprightly, extremely quick in its
actions, elegant in its form, and graceful in all its movements; but
as its colouring assimilates in a remarkable degree with that of the
foliage it frequents, it is somewhat difficult of detection. When engaged
in searching for food, it frequently expands its wings and tail, creeps
and climbs among the branches in a variety of beautiful attitudes,
and often suspends itself to the extreme ends of the outermost twigs.
It occasionally perches on the branches of trees, but is mostly to be
met with in dense thickets. It flies in an undulating manner, like a
Woodpecker, but this power is rarely exercised. Its note is a full, loud,
powerful, and melodious call. The stomach is muscular, but of very small
size, and the food consists of bees, wasps, and other hymenoptera, also of
coleoptera of various kinds, and the pollen of flowers. It is a very early
breeder, as is proved by my finding a nest containing two young birds
covered with down, and about two days old, on the 27th of September. The
nest, which is generally placed in a low bush, differs considerably from
those of all other Honey-eaters with which I am acquainted, particularly
in the character of the material forming the lining. It is the largest
and warmest of all, and is usually formed of ribbons of stringy bark,
mixed with grass, and the cocoons of spiders; towards the cavity it is
more neatly built, and is lined internally with opossum's or kangaroo's
fur. In some instances the hair-like material from the base of the large
leaf-stalks of the tree-fern is employed for the lining, and in others
there is merely a flooring of wiry grasses or fine twigs. The eggs, which
are either two or three in number, are of the most delicate fleshy buff,
rather strongly but sparsely spotted with small prominent roundish dots
of chestnut-red, intermingled with which are a few indistinct spots of
purplish grey. The average length of the egg is eleven lines, and the
breadth eight lines."
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The BRUSH WATTLE BIRDS (_Melichæra_) are recognisable by their powerful
body, strong and slightly curved beak, comparatively short foot, short
rounded wing, and long, wedge-shaped, tapering tail.