^°Qo7'] Campbell, The Moult of the Blue Wren. 153 



visitors, whose increasing confidence towards us in time turned to 

 indifference. Among the more confident were Robins (Yellow- and 

 Scarlet-breasted), Blue Wrens, Tree-creepers, and Grey Thrushes. 

 Of these the Blue Wrens ranked first in interest. There were eight 

 of them — four males and four females — and although the latter 

 were nearly impossible to distinguish from each other, the former 

 had each his individual trait, as will be seen. Of these males two 

 were blue and two grey. The first blue male was a particularly 

 handsome fellow. The dark blue feathers on the back seemed to 

 me abnormally developed, for when the wings were at rest they 

 were covered to the tips, whilst the tail, owing to these slightly 

 overlapi:)ing blue feathers, was normally carried at a much lower 

 angle than usual. The second male had his grey wings when at 

 rest almost fully showing. The third and fourth were distinguish- 

 able at first only by the deeper blue in the tail of the former, but 

 on 15th July this bird developed dark spots on the side of the head 

 like ears ; next day these spots had enlarged, and on the third 

 day both cheeks were pale blue owing to the sudden opening out 

 of the new feathers, while the dark blue spots had increased and 

 enlarged. Soon an irregular patchwork was seen, which by the 

 replacement of old feathers with new gradually evolved more regular 

 form ; the colours cleared and brightened, and in a fortnight's tmie 

 — i.e., on 2gth July — the glory was complete. During all this 

 change a distinct increase of self-respect was noted ; he avoided 

 with less margin the running charges of the Tree-creeper in the 

 dispute for crumbs, and expanded his chest more often in song. 

 As the fourth bird remained grey I thought it too young to change, 

 but was surprised on 9th August to notice dull spots on the chest ; 

 however, they were merely of a deeper grey, and as the days passed 

 no alteration was visible. It was shortly after this, on the i6th 

 inst., during a walk, I noticed a male half through the moult — this, 

 of course, was not connected with the eight birds that up to this 

 time regularly visited the camp each day. On 23rd August, how- 

 ever, the last male noticeably changed, the spots growing darker 

 and larger, and the moult, starting from the breast in this case, 

 finished on 12th September inst. 



"The hen birds, of course, have also undergone a renovation, the 

 extent of which is not easily seen, though like the males the new 

 tail feathers are readily discernible. When they flit about with 

 their little reddish beaks taking crumbs here and there with the 

 quickness of thought, their long ' rudders ' grey in the shadow 

 but with a peculiar bluish metallic sheen when the sun catches 

 them, not to mention their dainty appearance, fully compensate 

 for the absence of those colours that are the pride and glory of the 

 males. — Chas. F. Pawsey. Camp near Grampians, 15/9/05." 



The Wrens are a fascinating family in many ways. Among 

 our common birds of the bush and garden they are the only 

 ones that don a bright livery for one season of the year. It is 

 held by some that there is no such change, and the proof is 

 offered that blue birds can be seen at any month of the year. 



