THE Official Journal of the South Australian Ornithological Association. (First appeared 1914.) President: PROFESSOR J. B. CLELAND. Vice-President: LIEUT.-CC:lL. A. H. LENDON. Hen, Secretary: MI1. S. E. TERRILL, Address: 167 Napier Terrace, Westbourne Park, Adelaide. . , . Editorial Committee: F. M. ANGEL, J. B. CLELAND, A. G. EDQUIST.

Vol. XVII1 MARCH. 1945 Part 5 PLUMULA .- YELLOW..FRONTED HONEYEATER By J. NEIL McGILP. Since John Gilbert first discovered the from Rockhampton, and seven from Card­ Yellow-fronted Honeyeater resorting to the well. in the North. The other skins are tallest trees in the White Gum forests in the without any data and this applies also to York District, some sixty miles from the Swan the one set of three eggs in the Museum. River, Western Australia, and the specimens 'In a letter received from Major, Whittell, collected by him were described by' Gould dated 18/4/<1<1, he writes, "I had one set before the Zoological Society of London in in my collection which I gave to Mr. Orton. .1840, this' bird appears to have escaped the The data were as follows: Collected by H. close attention 'of .students of oology. Most L.' Olive on October 29, 1917, at Mt. Cook, of the available information about the species Cooktown, N. Queensland. Nest of bark, refers to 'it having been noted in. certain lined with cotton and feathers." localities, there being few notes about the habits or' the nidification of this somewhat Mr. H. Greensill Barnard, of Rockhanip­ retiring and exclusive honeyeater. ton, Queensland" in correspondence, gives With a desire to obtain all the informa­ some interesting notes anent the Yellow­ tion possible, the writer has searched through fronted Honeyeater. He says. he had not found the bird over a wide range. In Cen­ bird notes from many parts of Australia and tral Queensland the bird ranges from 40 has conferred with other ornithologists and Australian Museums. .Much material has to 50 miles inland from the coast-s-and he been collected, and it' is -intended to deal had never seen it nearer the sea-s-to the . with the more interesting notes about the Dividing Rauge roughly 250 to 300 miles inland. It has not been identified by hin, Yellow-fronted Honeyeater, It is desired . to offer an apology in advance lest, through on the western fall of the Range'. He found all books, etc., dealing with Australian avi­ the birds in .111 the scrubby gullies of the fauna not being available, some reference to Range and in the scrubs of the ,.J\!.fcKeniie a recorder of notes on the bird under review and Dawson Rivers. It nests freely in the is omitted. bracken fern along the' gullies. In the brigalow scrubs of the Dawson Iliver, it was In the Official Check List of the Birds of very partial to the honey of the Mistletoe Australia, the habitat of the, Yellow-fronted (Loranthus). He found a nest in a Mistle­ Honeyeater is set down -as-South Australia, toe. Mr. Barnard collected extensivelv for Interior of Australia, North-Western Aus­ the late H. L. White in the Cardwell District tralia and Eastern Central Queensland. in 1916 and 1925, but did not see the bird In order to' ascertain -the distribution of there, and suggests that the skins in the the. species in Queensland, an enquiry was Queensland Museilmwould probably have dispatched to Mr. H. A. Longman, Director been 'collected from. the Tableland country of the Museum, and he kindly supplied the some distance west of Cardwell. .' As the· interesting . information that it: is a -well­ two localities are so dissimilar the skins known bird in his'State.· There are some should riot be labelled Cardwell. His ex­ two dozen skins in the cullection-e-five of perience of the bird is that it .prefers the them came from the' Darling Downs, eight drier scrubs of' the inland but not the far from Chinchilla in Southern Queensland,'two iniand. lYk Barnard. stated that the scrubs March, 1945 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 47

of Central Queensland are mostly brigalow The skin from Bourke, N.S.W., is intel" with a good variety of undergrowth. The esting in that it is the most inland and range country carries mostly Eucalyptus, with westerly specimen secured in that Slate and scrubby gullies, no brigalow. tends to form the link between the coastal birds of Eastern N.S.VI. and Queensland Though New South Wales is not given U:o the habitat, the Director of the Australian and those in the dry Inland of Australia. Museum, Sydney, courteously intimated that Mr. Mack, however, is not quite satisfied there are seventeen skins in the collecnon. that this skin is correctly labelled. Of these three skins (Grant Colln.] wert The Yellow-fronted Honeyeater ranges well obtained at Narramine in 1903. Narrarmne over South Australia; the. most easterly is on the Central ~restern Slopes and some records in this State were made by Professor B. Cleland, who took a specimen 75 two hundred miles inland from Newcastle. J. One specimen carne from Mt.· Gillen, near miles N. of Renmark in January, 1921 XXXV, p. 263), and by the late F. Alice Springs, 'Central Australia, in 1936. (Emu, W. Andrews, who in 1883 (North's Nests & The other thirteen skins were collected in Eggs, 2, p. 137) collected specimens at South Australia; two of them labelled Moolah, Aug. 1883, have been credited to Overland Corner, also on the River Murray. - South Australia by the writer who, unable E. F. Boehm (S.A.o., IX, p. 266) identi­ fied the birds N.E. 'of Sutherlands on the to locate a place of this name, considers that Morgan-Adelaide Railway in 1928, and on it may be a place name near Overland 18/10/1933 sent specimens to the S.A. Corner, River Murray, S.A., where Andrews Museum (S.A.a., XV, p. 26). He stated shot birds in 1883. There are two sets, that they inhabit dense low mallee shoots· each of two eggs, in the Museum. One and they appeared stationary. The calls, set was labelled Flinder5 Range, S.A., date he thought, resembled those of the Brown­ prior to 1906. This \1I:J.y be the set taken headed Honeyeater.- by Dr. Chenery in 1904-. The second set On Balah, north of Morgan, P. T. Sand­ was taken at Mt. Fitton, Moolawatana, Elin­ land noted the birds, not plentiful. He del'S Range, S.A., by the writer on 17/8/1920 took two sets of eggs in Aug. 1907 and 1908 -the set forms part of the .late Dr. Mac­ from the same flat. The nests were gillivray's collection, presented on his death built near the top of a dogwood bush and to the Australian Museum, Sydney. each .was found by the bird Hushing when The Yellow-fronted Honeyeater does not he was about 4 or 5 feet away. He writes 'occur in Tasmania. The Museum ill Hobart that the only note he heara' was a single has one skin and that was presented by the rather deep one. He describes the locality S.A. Museum in August, 1889-probably the as a peculiar depression near a patch of bird was taken in South Australia. limestone and sandalwood country, which is well grassed in a good season. Beyond F. E. Howe's reference to the presence of the birds at Tutye, Victorian 1. T. Gray located the species at Orroroo Mallee, in September, 1921 (Emu, XXVII, (S.A.a., XI, p. 103) and in Emu, XLII, p. 265), there are no records from Victoria. p. 143, stated that he had seen them in a Mr. Geo. Mack, Ornithologist at the National small area of hills and gullies, clad with Museum, Melbourne, kindly advised that fairly large mallee, just south of the tOWII. there are 33 skins of the species in the He had seen them in the months of April H. L. White and General Collections. One to November, 1931 to 1935 inclusive. He skin was taken near Bourke, N.S.'W., eleven sent a skin for identification to the S:A. skins from Gawler Ranges, Ooldea, Wanta­ Museum. pella Swamp, Tarcoola, and Pt. Gerrnein in To the north-east of Orroroo, at Nackara South Australia, five skins from Gilbert on the Broken Hill Railway Line, the late Spring in Central Australia, and sixteen skins Edwin Ashby, that indefatigable field-worker, collected at Kalgoorlie, Derby, West Kim­ collected specimens on May 16, 1900 berley, East Murchison and Napier, Broome (North's Nests & Eggs). The birds literally Bay, in Western Australia. There are two swarmed in the.gums, which were Howering. sets of eggs, one egg and two eggs, in the He noticed some young birds which had only collection, but Mr. Mack does not regard left the nest a few weeks earlier. Again these as authentic eggs of the Yellow-fronted in September, 1917 (Emu, XVI, p. 233), he Honeyeater albeit they are labelled as such. found the birds at Nackara, and during the 48 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST March, 1945

same period observed. them quite numerous 1912 (Emu, XIII, p. 32), and wrote that near the western entrance to the Port Ger­ he saw them on many occasions and that mein Gorge, but as he travelled eastward .they were very silent and of retiring habits. through the Gorge and attained a higher They seemed sociable, being seen in parties altitude this species was replaced ,by the of 8 to 10. They kept to the Ranges and White-plumed Honeyeater. _ were not seen in the mallee away from the Immediately west of the Port Germein hills. In the same region (Emu, XII, p. 128) Gorge and between the Flinders Ranges and the birds were seen flying swiftly but in a Spencer Gulf, the late J. W. Mellor came series of irregular, spasmodic darts in and across the species in August, 1912 (Emu, out of the yelloW' flowers of the Wild XII, p. 188), in association with the White­ Tobacco Tree (Nicotiana glauca). The late plumed birds. "A Yellow-fronted bird was John Sutton (S.A.O., Vl11, p. 159) on shot and as it lay 'on the ground another 13/8/1923 noted two birds near Wipipippee bird flew down and started to pick its head. Rocks, Nonning, Gawler Ranges. (a speci­ So absorbed was the live bird that it could men was secured), and at Kimha came across almost be touched. Five other birds flew two birds in a patch of burnt mallee in down and commenced pecking their dead which young shoots were thick (S.A.O., mate in so savage a manner that the body VIII, p. 214). North in Nests & Eggs quotes was dragged several inches away." F. W. Andrews as obtaining specimens in Further north along the Flinders Ranges, the Gawler Ranges in 1873. In Central at a point opposite Port Augusta, several col­ Australia Professor J. B. Cleland secured a lectors have secured specimens of the specimen at Liddle's Hill, about 65 miles Yellow-fronted Honeyeater. North, in S.S.W. 'of Hermannsburg Mission Station in Nests & Eggs, mentioned that the late K. May, 1935 (S.A.O., XIII, p. 193), and F. Broadbent and the late G. Masters (in Nov. L. Whitlock saw them" at Gilbert Springs 1865) had sent specimens from that locality.. some 22 miles westward of Hermannsburg Dr. A. Chenery, when resident in Port Mission Station (Emu, XXIII, p. 277), when Augusta, took specimens in 1903· from the they were not breeding in the month of foothills of the Ranges, and Captain S. A. A~gust,. though some of its congeners were White collected skins there in 1912. Still doing so. further north, at Moolooloo near Blinman Flinders Ranges, Captain S. .A. White (Emu: Fro:n Western Australia come many ob­ XV, p. 161) in 1915 found the species servations of the Yellow-fronted bird. F. numerous and identical with the birds near 1. Whitlock (Emu, IX, p. 211) wrote "a Port Augusta. very small colony on the 'spinifex plain to In the ~estern portion of the State-i.e., west of Bore Well (East Murchison). I west of a Iine drawn perpendicularly through was greatly surprised to find them so far the head of Spencer Gulf-the Yellow­ north and so far inland. Thev were ex­ fronted Honeyeater is much more numerous tremely local, and I could find n~thing out and ~ore widely spread. It has been regarding t~eir ~esting. I shot. several speci­ seen In the Musgrave and Everard Ranaes me~s for .dlssect~on~ and none showed signs (Emu, .XIV, p. 191) in 1914, by Captain'"S. of immediate breed!ng. It is possible they A. WhIte. On the Nullarbor Plain Captain may have bred dunng the summer rains or S. A. ~h~t~ (Emu, XVIII, p. 137)· in 1913 perhap~ after I left Bore Well. On my found It faIrly plentiful in the scrub o-rowin" return In mid November (1903) I shot a on the sandhills at the edge of th~ plain~ fully fledged nestling which was being fed E. LeG. Troughton noted the birds at Im­ by Its parents. This is the only evidence marna on October 3·, 1921 (Emu XXVII p of their breeding I encountered." Whitlock 91), and Professor 1. B. Cleland ~a\l: then~ i~ also sa,~ the species at Zanthus on the East­ the mallee and small trees in the sandhi1ls at West Lme (Emu, XXI, p. 175) in 1921/2 the edge of the Plain near Ooldea a~d ~e found them in the Fitzroy River Di; triet In 1924 (Emu, XXV,. p 86).P S eCI- . In the Calvler Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, in mens .were obtained at Derri Springs, where August, 1902, the late Dr. A. M. Morzan the buds came t·o water. and Dr. A. Chenery (North's Nests & Eggs) met WIth the species in the hilly country and Seryenty (Emu, XXVIII, p. 197) writes collected the eggs. Captain S. A. White that In the Irwin Valley, W.A., Whitlock recorded the birds in the Gawler Ranges in found the Yellow-fronted in association with the Yellow-plumed birds-"it was common March, 1945 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 49

but localised on the North Irwin. Empty mulga country with patches of mallee.· Cap­ nests were found in its haunts." tain S. A.· White.'and Drs. Morgan and 1;-. Robinson (Emu, XXXVIII, p. 465) Chenery mention that the species was not wntes, ",!,here is another species of i'lIeliphaga seen in the mallee belt out south of the here which I first thought was M. ornata, Cawler Ranges. Skins have been taken at b?t as there seems DO be no record of that Overland Corner and Renmark on the River bud being found so far north I think the Murray, but there appears to be no record species must be plumula"-Locality, Barlee of its occurrence in the" dense mallee belt Ranges, W.A. south and east of the River. J. P. Rogers obtained skins at Wyndham, Mil~gan evidently considered. the species W.A., on 8/2/09 and at Parry's Creek a denizen of the mulga belt in Western Aus­ W:A:, on 10/10/08. (Emu, IX, pp. 15, 63):' tralia and Gilbert found it in the White Gum Milligan (Emu, IV p. 152), in the Yanda­ forests. nooka District, W.A., in September, 1904.,. The Yellow-fronted Honeyeater could best fo.und the species "at Wural'ga, near Day be described as an inhabitant of the open Dawn and at Cadgee Cadgee, but that may scrubs growing in or in the vicinity of be accounted for by the fact that each place range and hilly country in the arid regions !s in the 'Mulga' belt." He stated that "P. of South and Western Australa.· Strangely plumula appears to be the inland represen­ enough, the bird has, so far as the w~iter tative of P. carteri; convert the yellow can establish, only been recorded in the plumes of P. plumula into white 'and you higher rainfall districts of Queensland and have P. carteri," New South Wales, though one skin' was Gibson' (Emu, IX, p. 75) met with the obtained at Bourke, N.S.W., in the dry Yellow-fronted Honeyeater between Kalgoor­ country. lie and EucIa, W.A., where it was "fairly Gould described the nests and eggs of common in the Mallee," and H. Collins the Yellow-fronted Honeyeater in his Hand­ (S.A.O., XII, p. 206) reported it at Zanthus book as follows: Nest: Its small, elegant, on the Eas~-West Railway, W.A. cup-shaped nest is suspended from a slender C. E. Bryant (Emu, XLIII, p. 80), in re­ horizontal branch frequently so close to the viewing a paper writes, "This reviewer agrees ground as to be reached by the hand; it is from editorial experience with Mr. McGilp's formed of dry grasses, lined with soft, cotton-like buds of flowers. The eggs, two note on the confusion between Meliphaga in number, 10 lines long by 7 lines broad, plumule 'and M. ornata in bird. lists-appar- of a pale salmon colour with a zone 'of . ently the name 'Yellow-plumed' for the latter a deeper tint at the larger end and the helps the confusion. The earlier bird 'does whole freckled with minute spots of a still not appear to extend east of Port Augusta." darker hue. . His last sentence is very wide of the mark, as will be seen by the references to speci­ . Since that time, .1840, there are few records mens of this species taken in Queensland, of the finding of the nest and eggs of the New South Wales, and eastern South Aus­ species-lA. J. Campbell, in Nest & ;Eggs., adds nothing to Gould's descriptions. In tralia. A. G. Campbell in "The Mallee Quota" North's Nests- & Eggs there are some very (Emu, XXXIII, p. 201) writes ... (it) "is interesting notes about the nesting of the distributed in the Western Mallee and Eyre Yel:low-fronted Honeyeater. Dr. A. Chenery Pen., S.A. The systematic position of the sent a skin collected on 20/7/1902 in the Yellow-fronted Honeyeater is uncertain; Flinders Ranges, and stated that the bird nevertheless it is a Mallee species in the was to be found in the Ranges not far from West and Eyre Pen., S.A., but it has not Port Augusta. It was found in the Gums been identified in the Victorian MalIee." on the creeks running down from the gullies That the bird does occur in mallee is proved but did not come out on the plains for by several observations, but usually the any distance.' He and Dr. A. M. Morgan mallee has been in association with other saw the bird in the mallee at the foot of types of scrub, and. the locality could be the hills of the Gawler Ranges. His experi­ better described as open scrub with clumps ence of the only three nests found is that or patches of mallee. The Musgrave, the the species never came out of mountain Everard, Gawler and Flinders Ranges could creeks and seemed to prefer to breed on the not be classed as mallee country; it is side 'of the hills in rather isolated patches 50 ...THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST ¥~rch, 1945 o: in the scrub far up from the fo;thills. feeds largely upon insect life such as He found a nest in September, 1904; it Was weevils, bees, lerp scales, ants, bugs and built in a.salt-bush 2,! feet from the ground spiders. In the stomach of a bird taken and contained three eggs too heavily incu­ in N.W. Austra.lia, Mathews (Emu, VI, p. bated to blow. Another nest found in a 14) found some vegetable matter, which small scrub on the side of a hill in June, he took to be the petals of white flowers, as 1903, had one egg in it. The birds were well as the usual quota of insect life. . plentiful enough but the nests were not easy Generally all collectors of this bird agree to find. Dr. Chenery had discovered them that the iris is dark brown; the feet and by following the birds with nesting material legs pale brown to leaden. grey; the bill in their bills and watching their destination brown to dark brown, the gape yellow to up .the side of the range. The birds, he yellowish orange. The male in the flesh said, were careless as to the time they build, is from 15 to 16 em. in length, the wing is for he had found fledged young in May. from 9 to 9.6 cm., tail 6.8 to 8.2 em. The Dr. A. M. Morgan (North's Nests & Eggs) female is slightly smaller than the male. found P. plumula very numerous in the gum It is worthy of note that Gould gives the creeks at Concipidney, Gawler Ranges, and length at 4l inches (12.1 em.), tail at 2ft saw the bird. occasionally in the, Eucalypts ins. (7 em.), wing as 3'1 ins. (8.25 em.) . at Nonning Station further west in the Ranges. Apparently these measurements were taken At the former place a nest was found on from a dried skin. August 4, 1902, in an overhanging branch The writer's experience with the: Yellow­ . of a gum. It was built of dry grass stems fronted Honeyeater dates back to 1899, when and wool intermixed, studded outside with he shot the bird and identified it with the old spiders' cocoons and lined inside with aid of Gould's Handbook. The birds were woo] and horsehair, and it contained two first observed in some hilly country behind fresh eggs, size A .76 x .58; B .78 x .59; the Carriewerloo Homestead, some 36 miles . North, in. Nests &' Eggs, describes a nest west of Port Augusta, They were in small he received from Dr. A. Chenery as:-!A' flocks of 6 to 10 birds, very localised but deep, cup-shaped structure, being slightly by no means plentiful. Generally the birds contracted at the rim, which is firmly worked were found in the open Myall and Dead­ over two thin horizontal branches or twigs, finish scrub Or in small patches of stunted another 'twig running at right angles being mallee on the hillside or gumtree saplings securely fastened to the structure. It was in creeks. Sometimes they' followed these formed throughout of bark fibre, fine dried creeks for some short distances out from the grasses, plant down, cobwebs and egg bags hills. As they searched for food in the ·of spiders, neatly woven together with a trees," the birds could be closely observed, slight lining of fine dried grasses, and at but on~e disturbed they ~ew r'!.,pidly for the bottom with a small quantity of fur. some distance and were difficulti'to locate External measurements: 3 inches diameter, again. The note is rather shrill and loud, and at rhn where it is contracted 2t inches, repeated frequently. For long periods, depth 2t inches; the inner cup, diameter 2 usually when engaged in seeking food, they inches, depth 2 inches. North describes are seldom heard calling. the eggs of the Yellow-fronted Honeyeater as Though several colonies were closely follo\~s:-Clutch, 2, sometimes 3, in number, watched during July to the end of September 'oval 10 form, the shell being close grained, in 1899 and 1900, a nest was not found. smooth and almost lustreless. They vary Unfortunately' it was not realised that the from fleshy buff to' pale salmon colour, nests are sometimes built in saltbushes which which passes into a darker hue at the larger are to be found in the locality. end and are very sparingly sprinkled all After leaving Carriewerloo Station the 'over the shell with minute irregular shaped. writer was appointed manager of Moonaree markings of chestnut red. and other stations in the Gawler Ranges, Whilst the Yellow-fronted Honeyeater and in this capacity he travelled through obtains much of its food from the honey and much of the Ranges. Many Sundays were the pollen in flowers of the Eucalypts spent observing birds. The Yellow-fronted and other trees, Lea and Gray (Emu, XXXV, Honeyeater wa§.. located in small numbers in p. 269), through their examination of the the small 'gum creeks and mulga watercourses contents of the stomach, have shown that it running from the hills towards Lake Caird- Marchi 1945 THE S,A. ORNITHOLOGIST 51 nero They seemed to prefer the hilly country two nests were almost identical in structure, to the plains. Knowing that Drs. Morgan being made of very fine strips of bark; and Chenery had found the birds nesting in they were suspended in a horizontal fork, the gums in Concipidney Creek in the Ranges the rim of the nest being woven over three near Siam Station, a visit was paid during twigs. Some spiders' web and cocoons August in 1903, hut although two old nests were used to decorate the outside of the were found in the drooping hranches of a nest. One nest had a little fine dry grass large gum, none was of the season's struc­ in the walls and foundation, and it was ture. lined with rabbits' fur, the other being lined Many years later, in 1919, the birds were with flower down. The two nests varied 'observed near Moolawatana Station in the slightly in size-overall diameter 21 to 3 Flinders Ranges. Six birds were noted in inches, depth 2i inches; egg 'cavity-diame­ a patch of broad-leafed mallee growing on ter 2 ins. to 2t ins., depth H to 2 ins. the side of a small limestone hilL The The eggs were very similar to a certain environment was fairly hilly country, with type of White-plumed Honeyeater's; the mulga and scrub trees and a few gum creeks. ground colour of the shell was a pale, fleshy A careful search produced the long-sought buff, being more pronounced on the larger end nest, which contained two fairly well-fledged .of the egg, but showed little evidence of a birds. The nest was built 6 feet up from definite zone of colour, and the shading was the ground in an overhanging branch of a very gradual. Scattered sparingly over the broad-Ieafedmallee, The locality was again shell were small, irregular markings of a under observation from early July the fol­ rufous to chestnut red colour: lowing season, and on August 17, 1920, a Another nest, with two young, was found nest containing two beautiful eggs was near Wirrealpa Station, nearly east of Blin­ found. The eggs' were taken and later man, Flinders Ranges; it was almost identi­ sent to Dr. W. Macgillivray. Only four cal with the nests taken at Mt. Fitton, Moola­ birds were seen altogether on this occasion. watana, in 1919 and 1920, and it was also The nest was seen after watching one bird about the same height from the ground in furtively flying into the tree, a broad-leafed a maIlee, one of a patch, about 5 acres in rnallee, several times and then going into a extent, growing on the side of a limestone rather heavy bunch of leafy twigs. The rubble hill on the eastern slopes of the tree was approximately 26 yards from the Ranges. The locality was scrubby, mulga nesting site used the previous year. The trees predominating.