HONEY-EATER, or a name sometimes given to some of the sun birds (q.v.), but also the common name of a large family of birds nearly allied to these and to humming-birds, and peculiar to Australia and the islands of that part of the world. This family, mellphagidce—of the order insessores, and tribe fenuirostres—has a long curved sharp bill, not so slender as in humming-birds and sun-birds; the tongue termi nates in a pencil of delicate filaments, the better to adapt it for sucking honey from flowers, or juices from fruits. These ant a principal part of the food of the honey-eaters, but they also devour insects in great munbers. They are birds of elegant form, and generally of gay plumage. Most of them have a long and broad tail. They may be observed fluttering and darting among trees and shrubs when in blossom, and are very abundant in all parts of Austrtlia. They are extremely vivacious and active, and keep
up a continual chattering. One of the most splendid species, Ineliplauja or ptilorispara dtietts, is called the rifleman or rifle bird by the .1/2 tatralian colonists. Another species, myzantha melanophrys, is called the bell bird, because its voice much resembles the tinkling of a little bell. To this family is referred the poe bird, parson bird, or tui-tui (pmsthemodera .11Tova-Zeelandice) of New Zealand, a bird larger than a blackbird, and of a deep metallic green color, becoming bronze and black in certain lights, with snow white tufts of downy curling feathers on the sides of the neck. Unlike most of the melipkagida, it is a bird of fine song. It has also great powers us a mocking-bird, readily learns to speak many words, and becomes very familiar in domestication.