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NOTES UPON THE PLUMAGE OF THE ADULT MALES 

 IN CERTAIN SPECIES OF THE GENUS MALURUS. 



" By A. J. North, F.L.S. 



The late Mr. Gould speaking of the genus Malurus in his 

 ' Handbook to the Birds of Australia,' says — " The members of this 

 genus are among the most beautiful of our Australian birds. Their 

 gay attire, however, is only assumed during the pairing-season, and 

 is retained for a very short period, after which the sexes are alike 

 in colouring." Further on speaking of Malurus cyaneus, "During 

 the months of winter it associates in small troops of from six to 

 eight in number (probably the brood of a single pair), which con- 

 tinually traverse the district in which they were bred. At this 

 period of the year the adult males throw off their fine livery, and 

 the plumage of the sexes becomes so near alike that a minute 

 examination is requisite to distinguish them."* Relative to the 

 above statements that the males of the genus Malurus only assume 

 their full plumage during the pairing season, and that the adult 

 males throw off their fine livery in winter and can hardly be dis- 

 tinguished from the females, Gould is decidedly in error. 



During the last three or four years I have paid particular atten- 

 tion to the subject, and find that as regards Malurus cyaneus the 

 results of my observations are that after the male has once assumed 

 its fully adult plumage, it always retains that phase, and that the 

 fully adult male is as brilliant in its colouring during the winter 

 months as it is in spring and summer. The winter just jjast is 

 well known to have been one of the coldest we have experienced 

 for several years, yet on reference to my note-book I find that from 

 the 25th of May until the middle of August I have frequently 

 observed the fully plumaged males of M. cyaneus in the piiblic 



* Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol, I., pp. 317-8. 



