The nest of this species is a small cup-shaped and rather beautiful structure, although not so compact or neatly formed as that of many other birds; those I found, both in Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales, were built on some low shrubs a few feet from the ground, mostly in a species of Leptospermum; it is outwardly constructed of moss and grasses, and lined with feathers; the eggs are two in number, of a delicate huffy white, increasing in depth of colour towards the larger end; in some instances I have found them marked with a zone of reddish chestnut spots shaded with indistinct markings of grey, intermingled with very minute ink-like dots; in form the eggs are much lengthened and pointed; their medium length is nine lines and breadth six lines.
Crown of the head shining greenish black; space between the bill and the eye, ear-coverts, lunated band on the sides of the chest, primaries, and six middle tail-feathers black; the remainder of the tail-feathers black largely tipped with white, and slightly margined on the external web with brown; back of the neck rufous chestnut, passing into chestnut-brown on the upper part of the back; secondaries, greater wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts grey; throat, cheeks and chest white, the first with a patch of chestnut-brown in the centre, deepening into black on its lower edge; abdomen, flanks and under tail-coverts light chestnut-brown; irides scarlet; bill black; feet reddish brown.
Specimens from Van Diemen’s Land have the patch in the centre of the throat and the lunated marks on the sides of the neck much deeper and the whole of the under surface richer chestnut.
The figures are those of a male and female, on a branch of what is considered a white variety of Epacris impressa.
ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS: Gould.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp.
ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS, Gould.
White-eyebrowed Spine-bill.
Acanthorhynchus superciliosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 24.
Bool-jeet, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Hitherto I have only received this fine and well-marked species of Spine-billed Honey-eater from Western Australia, but hereafter it will doubtless be found to range over a much greater extent of country; although a very local bird, it is tolerably abundant both at Swan River and King George’s Sound, and is found to give a decided preference to the forests of Banksias, upon the blossoms of which trees it almost solely subsists. Its food, like that of the other members of its family, consists of insects and honey, for obtaining which its delicately organized bill and the filamentous form of its tongue are peculiarly adapted; the latter member being capable of considerable protrusion beyond the apex of the bill, thus enabling the bird to dive into the deepest interstices of the flowers, which its bill alone would not permit. Like its congeners, this species occasionally frequents the low shrub-like trees, and sometimes is even to be observed upon the ground in search of food. In its actions it displays great activity, darting about from branch to branch with a rapid zigzag motion; its flight is irregular and uneven, but it often rises perpendicularly in the air, uttering at the same time a rather pretty song; at others it emits a loud and strong note.