Part 5

Although far less common and much more local than _M. cyaneus_, this species ranges over a greater extent of country, being an inhabitant of most parts of New South Wales, the interior in the neighbourhood of the Namoi and the north-west coast, whence I received several specimens, forming part of an interesting collection kindly sent me by Mr. Dring. I found it tolerably abundant on the Namoi, where it was sometimes associated with its congener _M. cyaneus_.

In New South Wales the neighbourhood of Botany Bay is one of its most favourite resorts, and it is occasionally seen near Sydney, and even in the small gardens within the town. A beautiful specimen in the Museum of this place was killed on the lawn in front of that establishment, which is situated within the precincts of the town, and surrounded on all sides by houses. It does not inhabit Van Diemen’s Land, nor did I observe it in South Australia, or hear of its ever having been seen there, neither have I received it from the colony of Swan River.

Lambert’s Superb Warbler is a species with which we have been long acquainted, being figured in the early voyages to New South Wales as a variety of _Malurus cyaneus_; but the only species with which it at all assimilates in the disposition and colour of its markings is the _M. elegans_ of Western Australia, of which it forms a beautiful analogue on the eastern coast.

This is one of the few common birds of Australia of which I was not able to find the nest; but its changes of plumage, nidification, the number and colour of its eggs, are doubtless very similar to those of the other members of its family. Its food consists of insects of various kinds, which are sought for on the ground, over which it runs with great facility.

The male has the forehead, ear-coverts, sides of the head and occiput and centre of the back beautiful violet-blue; throat, breast, crescent across the upper part of the back and rump black; scapularies chestnut; wings brown; abdomen white, tinged with brown on the flanks; tail dull greenish blue, indistinctly barred with a darker tint, and lightly tipped with white; bill black; eyes and feet dark brown.

The female has the body dull brown; the throat and under surface much paler; tail-feathers as in the male, but less bright; bill and space round the eye reddish brown; feet brown.

The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.

MALURUS LEUCOPTERUS, _Quoy & Gaim._? White-winged Wren.

_Malurus leucopterus_, Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de l’Uranie, p. 108. pl. 23. fig. 2.?—Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 222.

_Amytis leucopterus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 454.

I regret that I have not been able to clear up the doubt which exists in my mind, whether the present beautiful bird is or is not distinct from the one figured by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard in the “Voyage de l’Uranie,” since on applying at the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, for the purpose of examining the original specimen, it could not be found: the figure above-quoted, if intended for the present bird, is by no means correct, and it is, moreover, said to be from Dirk Hatich’s Island, on the western coast, a locality very distant from those in which I found the bird here represented; a circumstance which strengthens my belief that they may be distinct: besides which, the bird I have figured is supposed to be exclusively an inhabitant of the interior; I never even observed it between the mountain ranges and the coast; it is therefore scarcely probable that it should inhabit an island like that of Dirk Hatich.

It was tolerably abundant in the patches of low scrub and grassy beds, here and there scattered over the plains which stretch out to the northward of the Liverpool range, and it was equally plentiful on the Lower Namoi: that it extends as far as South Australia, is proved by my having received its nest and eggs from that part of the continent.

It was usually seen either in pairs or in small troops, and evinced so much shyness of disposition as to render the acquisition of specimens a task of no little difficulty, particularly of the full-plumaged male, who appeared to be conscious that the display of his gorgeously-coloured dress might lead to his detection. Its powers of flight are not great, but this is fully compensated for by the extraordinary manner in which it threads the bushes, and passes over the surface of the ground in a series of hopping bounds, whereby it readily eludes pursuit. The most successful mode of obtaining it is to ascertain the precise spot in which it is located, to approach it cautiously, and to remain silent for a short time, when the male will soon show himself by hopping out from the bush; the restless nature of his disposition not admitting of his remaining long concealed.

The beautifully contrasted colours of blue and white, represented in our Plate, is a merely seasonal dress assumed in spring, and continued throughout the breeding-season, which commences in August and terminates in January; before and after this season male birds may be seen in every stage of colouring, from plain uniform brown to that of the perfect livery.

The nest is composed of grasses, rather large and dome-shaped, with a hole near the top for an entrance. The one sent me from South Australia contained two eggs, one of which was the Bronze Cuckoo’s, thus showing that this little bird is also the foster-parent of those birds. The number of eggs laid by the _Malurus leucopterus_ is in all probability four; the one I possess is flesh-white, finely freckled with reddish brown, forming a zone at the larger end, and is eight lines long by six lines broad.

The male has the whole of the head, body above and beneath, and the tail beautiful deep blue; scapularies, wing-coverts and tertiaries snow-white; primaries brown, with their external edges silvery green; bill black; feet brown; eyes dark brown.

The female has the crown of the head, and all the upper surface and flanks brown; throat and abdomen white, faintly washed with brown; external edges of the primaries and tail pale greenish blue; bill reddish brown.

The Plate represents the male and female of the natural size; the Plant is the _Brunonia Australis_.

MALURUS MELANOCEPHALUS, _Vig. & Horsf._ Black-headed Wren.

_Scarlet-lacked Warbler_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. xiv.

_Malurus melanocephalus_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 222.

_Malurus Brownii_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 72. fig. 1.

In their “Illustrations of Ornithology,” Sir William Jardine and Mr. Selby have in a very laudable manner endeavoured to clear up what they considered some confusion respecting the present and the preceding species, _M. Brownii_. These gentlemen have, however, fallen into error in considering the two birds as identical, whereas they are, in fact, totally distinct.

I have never seen the Black-headed Wren from any other locality than New South Wales, and I am consequently led to believe that the south-eastern portion of Australia is its peculiar and limited habitat. It is a local species, not being generally diffused over the face of the country, like several other members of the group, but confined to grassy ravines and gullies, particularly those that lead down from the mountain ranges. I obtained several pairs of adult birds in very fine plumage in the valleys under the Liverpool range, all of which I discovered among the high grasses which there abound; but as the period of my visit was that of their breeding-season, I never observed more than a pair together, each pair being always stationed at some distance from the other, and in such parts of the gullies as were studded with small clumps of scrubby trees.

The Black-headed Wren has many actions in common with the _M. cyaneus_, and like that species carries its tail erect: it also frequently perches on a stem of the most prominent grasses, where it displays its richly-coloured back, and pours forth its simple song. I did not succeed in finding the nest, although I knew they were breeding around me: it was probably placed among the grasses, but was so artfully concealed that it completely baffled my efforts at finding it.

One might suppose the greater development of feather on the back of this species to have been given it as a defence against the damp and dense grasses of the ravines, among which it usually resides; but from the circumstance of the female not possessing this character of plumage, and the rich garb being only seasonal in the male, this supposition falls to the ground. In their winter dress the sexes very nearly resemble each other; but the males may always be distinguished by the black colouring of the bill and tail-feathers. The young male of the year has the tail-feathers brown, like the females, and it is a curious fact, that at this age these feathers are much longer than in the adult.

The flight of this species is feeble and not protracted; but, on the contrary, its powers of running and creeping are very considerable.

The breeding-season probably commences in September and continues until January; its food is insects of various kinds.

The male has the head, all the under surface, wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts and tail deep velvety black; back of the neck, scapularies and remainder of the upper surface rich orange-scarlet; bill black; eyes blackish brown; feet fleshy brown.

Female brown above, paler beneath; bill brown; base of the under mandible reddish brown; feet flesh-brown.

The Plate represents male and female in the summer plumage, and a young male in change, on one of the native grasses of New South Wales.

MALURUS BROWNII, _Vig. & Horsf._ Brown’s Wren.

_Malurus Brownii_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 223.

_Malurus cruentatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 143.

Among the species of which I sent home characters from New South Wales, for publication in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, was the present pretty bird, to which I gave the specific name of _cruentatus_; upon comparison, however, of my specimens with the _Malurus Brownii_ in the Linnean Society’s Collection, I find they are identical, consequently my name must sink into a synonym. Mr. Brown, who was the donor of the Linnean Society’s specimen, obtained his bird near Broad Sound, on the eastern coast; while those from which my description was taken were procured on the north-west, and formed part of the collection placed at my disposal by the officers of the Beagle. It differs from _Malurus melanocephalus_ in the more intense and deep blood-red of the back, and, as Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield justly observe, it is much less in size.

Of its habits and economy, or the situations to which it gives preference, no information has yet been obtained; but we may reasonably suppose, that two species so nearly resembling each other in structure and colour as _M. Brownii_ and _M. melanocephalus_ do not greatly differ in their habits.

I have lately received an account of its being common at Port Essington; and, as I have above stated, it is an inhabitant of the eastern and north-western coasts; we may consequently conclude that its range extends over the whole of the northern parts of the Australian continent.

The male in summer has the head, neck, wings, all the under surface and tail black; primaries and secondaries brown; back and shoulders fine crimson; bill black; legs fleshy brown.

The female is uniform light brown, the abdomen inclining to white; bill and feet light brown.

The Plate represents a male and female, on the _Bæckia linifolia_.

AMYTIS TEXTILIS. Textile Wren.

_Malurus textilis_, Quoy et Gaim. Zool de l’Uranie, p. 107. pl. 23. fig. 1.

The birds figured in this and the following Plate differ from each other considerably in plumage, as well as in the structure of the bill, that organ in the present bird being shorter and more robust than in _Amytis striatus_.

Of the Textile Wren I killed and dissected many examples, but of the following I only procured a single specimen, and never met with it but in this one instance. I have considered it necessary to state this, as it would have been more satisfactory to me to have had further proofs from actual dissection and comparison, of their being really distinct, although I have little doubt that such is the case. The bird figured in the “Voyage de l’Uranie,” is doubtless referable to the one represented on the opposite Plate, while that figured by M. Lesson in the Atlas to his “Traité d’Ornithologie,” and which seems to have been the subject from which he took his generic characters and description, as clearly belongs to _A. striatus_.

The only place in which I observed the Textile Wren was the plains bordering the Lower Namoi; and that its range extends far to the northward and westward is certain, from the fact of the specimen figured in the “Voyage” above-quoted having been procured on the north-west coast.

In the various positions it assumes, in the elevated carriage of its tail, and in its whole economy, it bears a close resemblance to the true _Maluri_: like them also it wanders about in small troops of four or six in number, always keeping within a short distance, and returning towards the close of the day to its accustomed haunts. On the Lower Namoi, where it is very abundant, it is found in all those parts of the plains that are studded with scrubs and clumps of a low shrub-like tree, resembling the Barilla of the coast, through and among which it creeps with astonishing rapidity; indeed, its mode of progression on the ground is such as no description can convey an accurate conception of, and must be seen to be understood: I cannot perhaps compare it with anything, unless with the motion of an India-rubber ball when thrown forcibly along the ground. While stealing from bush to bush, with this rapid movement, its head low and tail perfectly erect, it presents an exceedingly droll appearance. Like many others of its family, it seldom employs the power of flight.

Its food is insects of various kinds.

Of its nidification I have nothing to communicate: it doubtless builds a dome-shaped nest, and in all probability lays four spotted eggs; but to these points I would call the attention of those who are favourably situated for observing them, as also to confirm or refute the opinion of this and the following bird being distinct.

All the upper surface dark brown, each feather with a narrow stripe of white down the centre; under surface the same, but much paler; flanks and under surface of the shoulder rust-red; tail dark brown, indistinctly barred with a still darker hue and edged with pale brown; irides reddish hazel; base of lower mandible bluish horn-colour; remainder of the bill black; feet flesh-brown.

The male I dissected was destitute of the rusty red colouring on the flanks and under surface of the shoulder.

The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.

AMYTIS STRIATUS. Striated Wren.

_Amytis textilis_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 454. pl. 67. fig. 2.

_Dasyornis striatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 143.

The only specimen I procured of this little bird in a recent state, was shot while I was traversing the Lower Namoi; it appeared to give preference to a loose sandy soil studded with high rank grass, which, growing in tufts, left the interspaces quite bare: through the natural labyrinth thus formed the Striated Wren ran with amazing rapidity, and it was only by forcing it to take wing that I succeeded in killing the one I obtained, which on dissection proved to be a male, and which served for the upper figure in my Plate: the other figure is supposed to represent the female; but as this can only be ascertained by the internal examination of a recent specimen, and no opportunity for so doing has yet occurred, this point must, for the present, remain undecided. All the specimens I have seen from New South Wales were in the red state of plumage, which goes far towards proving that this bird is really distinct from _Amytis textilis_.

Nothing has yet been ascertained respecting its nidification: its food, like that of the Textile Wren, consists of insects of various kinds.

Upper surface fine rusty red, each feather with a line of buffy white bounded on each side by black down the centre; line beneath the eye black; ear-coverts black, striated with white; wings and tail brown, margined with light reddish brown; base of the primaries rust-red, forming a conspicuous patch; chin and throat white; feathers of the chest buffy white, with two lines of brown, one down each side the stem; under surface rust-red, some of the feathers with a stripe of white down the centre; tail dark brown, indistinctly barred with a still darker tint, margined with lighter brown; irides hazel; bill dark horn-colour; feet brownish lead-colour.

The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.

AMYTIS MACROURUS, _Gould_. Large-tailed Wren.

_Amytis macrourus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Jan. 27, 1847.

_Nyern-de_ and _Jee-ra_, Aborigines of the interior of Western Australia.

The present is the first species of the genus that has been discovered in Western Australia; the two examples in my own collection are all that I have yet seen; these were shot in the interior by Mr. Gilbert, who states that “it inhabits the thickets, and is almost always on the ground in families of from four to seven in number: it carries its tail more erect than any other bird I have seen, and certainly no bird runs or rather hops over the surface of the ground with greater rapidity.”

It is evidently the representative of the _Amytis textilis_ of the eastern coast, to which it is very nearly allied, but from which, as well as from the _A. striatus_, it may at once be distinguished by its more robust form, and by the much greater length and size of its tail.

All the upper surface brown, each feather with a narrow stripe of white down the centre; under surface the same, but much paler; under surface of the shoulder pale rusty red; tail brown, margined with pale brown; irides hazel; base of the lower mandible horn-colour, remainder of the bill black; feet flesh-brown.

The figures are of the natural size.

STIPITURUS MALACHURUS, _Less._ Emu Wren.

_Muscicapa malachura_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., pl. lii.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 407.

_Soft-tailed Flycatcher_, Linn. Trans., vol. iv. p. 242. pl. 21.—Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 224.

_Malurus malachurus_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 224.

_Stipiturus malachurus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 415.

_Soft-tailed Warbler_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 123.

_Waw-gul-jelly_, Aborigines of New South Wales.

_Djur-jeel-ya_, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.

This curious little bird has a wide distribution; since it inhabits the whole of the southern portion of Australia, from Moreton Bay on the east to Swan River on the west, including Tasmania. Among the places where it is most numerous in the latter country, are the swampy grounds in the neighbourhood of Recherche Bay in D’Entrecasteaux Channel, the meadows at New Norfolk, Circular Head, and Flinder’s Island in Bass’s Straits; on the continent of Australia, Botany Bay, and indeed all portions of the country having a similar character are favoured with its presence.

In its actions it bears a close resemblance to the true _Maluri_, among which it has been associated, but, as the nature of its plumage would lead us to expect, it resorts to situations of a totally different character; for while the more open forest is the favourite resort of the _Maluri_, the Emu Wren is especially fond of low marshy districts, covered with rank high grasses and rushes. It is a recluse little bird, concealing itself from view by keeping near the ground in the midst of the more dense parts of the grass beds, and very seldom showing itself. Its extremely short round wings ill adapt it for flight, and this power is consequently seldom employed, the bird depending for progression upon its extraordinary capacity for running: in fact, when the grasses are wet from dew or rain, its wings are rendered perfectly unavailable. On the ground it is altogether as nimble and active, its creeping mouse-like motions, and the extreme facility with which it turns and bounds over the surface, enabling it easily to elude pursuit, and amply compensating for the paucity of its powers of flight. The tail is carried in an erect position, and is even occasionally retroverted over the back.

The nest, which is a small ball-shaped structure, with rather a large opening on one side, is composed of grasses lined with feathers, and artfully concealed in a tuft of grass or low shrub. One that I found in Recherche Bay contained three newly-hatched young: this being the only nest I ever met with, I am unable to give any description of its eggs, but I am informed they are always three in number.

The male is readily distinguished from the female by the blue colouring of the throat, and by a somewhat greater development of the tail-feathers. The decomposed or loose structure of these feathers, much resembling those of the Emu, has suggested the colonial name of Emu Wren for this species, an appellation singularly appropriate, inasmuch as it at once indicates the kind of plumage with which the bird is clothed, and the Wren-like nature of its habits.

The male has the crown of the head rust-red; upper surface brown, each feather having a black mark down the centre; wing-feathers dark brown, edged with rufous brown; chin and throat pale blue; sides of the neck and all the under surface bright rufous; tail dark brown; irides reddish brown; bill and feet brown.

The female differs from the male only in having the crown of the head striated with blackish brown, and the throat rufous instead of blue.

The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.

DASYORNIS AUSTRALIS, _Vig. & Horsf._ Bristle-bird.

_Dasyornis Australis_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 232.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 73.