BY A. J. NORTH. 507 



to one of the fully adult males in their rich velvety blue and black 

 attire. Gould may have been misled by seeing young males in 

 their semi-adult stage of plumage during winter, though in no 

 instance does he make any reference to this interesting phase of 

 plumage of the young males of M. cyaneus in their progress 

 towards maturity. 



Hitherto I have confined my remarks to M. cyaneus, which any 

 member can verify for himself by watching carefully for these 

 birds in any of the public parks or gardens about Sydney, a 

 favourite resort of this species being the ornamental shrub covered 

 beds and grassy lawns of the lower portion of the Botanic Gardens, 

 and the fully adult male may occasionally be met with during 

 winter in the grounds surrounding this very Hall of the Linnean 

 Society.* 



In illustration of my paper I exhibit to night a series of M. 

 cyaneus, M. lamherti, M. cruentatus, M. elegans, and M. leucopterus 

 in the various stages of plumage referred to, also adult males pro- 

 cured during the depth of winter for compai-ison with others 

 obtained during spring and summer. 



In the Red-backed section of the Malum s, young males bred 

 early in the season change the colour of their feathers, from brown 

 to black and red, and retain the full colour of the adult after their 

 first moult. Dr. Ramsay informs me he has also observed the 

 change in the colour of the feathers of the young males in Ptilorhis 

 paradiseus, and Sericulus melinus in their progress towards 

 matui'ity. 



On the 1 6th of July, Mr. Geoi'ge Barnard of Duaringa, Queens- 

 land writes as follows : — " In reply to your letter respecting the 

 winter livery of the Malurus, found in this neighbourhood, as far 

 as our experience goes there are always some males to be seen in 

 full plumage during winter, but generally very scarce, whether 



* Mr. Fletcher informs me that, as both Mr. Froggatt and himself have 

 observed, it has been almost a daily occurrence all through the winter 

 mouths to have one's attention called to the antics of a full-plumaged male 

 perched on a branch close to one of the windows vigoi-ously pecking at his 

 own reflection in the glass. 



