,\'£S7\S AXD h'-GS Ol- AVSTK.ALIAN BIRDS. 



165 



bird nioiiltod its bluo featiicrs, dral) or dingj'-gi'eyish ones coining instead. 

 After a time the blue colouring gradually and in patches came into the 

 drab plumage, and by the middle of July the bird wore its usual exquisite 

 dress, and so delighted was Mr. Cooper with the pretty bird's appearance, 

 that he gave it once more its liberty. 



However, Gould's statements need modification, for while the male 

 Wrens do change their dress they do not " retain it for a short period, " 

 but for eigiit or nine months of the year, or excepting the moulting 

 season. Then comes the statement that a " minute examination is requisite 

 to distinguish them " (that is, the male in his duller dress and the female). 

 The male always retains liis deep-bluish tail, while he may also be 

 distinguished by his darker or black bill. 



I may state that I saw the Blue Wren in captivity at Mr. Cooper's 

 during Fcbniaiy, when it appeared in full plumage, but at the critical 

 time of change I happened to be stationed in the countiy, therefore missed 

 the rare opportunity of recording personally the notes of such an 

 interesting test. 



Mr. C. C. Brittlebank's field observations are that the male Blue 

 ■Wrens generally don their gay plumage about from the 15th to 20th 

 August, retaining it till April or May following. 



Somewhat earlier than usual, on the 18th and 21st July (1896), 

 Mr. Robert Hall secured, at Box Hill, three males whose blue change was 

 nearly completed, and at the following meeting of the Field Natui-alists' 

 Club he exliibited a most interesting series of about a dozen sldns 

 obtained during several seasons, showing the progress of the spring dress.* 



My article on the Blue Wren, which appeared in " The Australasian " 

 (September 21st, 1895), was followed by some interesting and original 

 field observations by various con-espondents, particularly with regard to 

 the change of plumage in the male and the phu-ality of his mates. 



Mr. Heniy Holroyd, Port Lincoln, South Australia, wi-ote, expressing 

 an opinion that Mr. North was coiTect in his surmises about the moulting 

 of the male birds. However, he subsequently wrote to me, after watching 

 the birds closely in the brash fences and bushes close to his house for 

 another winter, that he was now of the opposite opinion, and was quite 

 convinced that the male birds changed their beautiful blue coats 

 temporarily for duller ones. 



Mr. Holroyd continues: — "But now I have another statement to 

 make concerning these lovely little birds, which will no doubt provoke 

 much ridicule and argimient, and therefore I do it vrith diffidence, though 

 confident of my correctness. For many years I have noticed that the 

 male bird is attended by one, two, or three female ones. Never did 

 I notice at any time more than the one male in the company. Wherever 

 he went he was attended by these little bodies, and at last I began to 

 suspect that the Blue Wren was in its habits either a IMormon or an 

 Oriental ! I mentioned my ideas to a friend or two, but was laughed to 



" Mr, Hall has also given an important paper to the Royal Society of Victoria 

 (vol. xii,, new series, pp. 59-73). on the changes of plumage in Blue Wrens, but I do 

 not think he has satisfactorily proved that ,1/ G.)i(/A — the Tasmanian form — is found 

 on the mainland. 



