^'^I'ol' ] From Magazines, Sfc. yj 



aviculturist, Mr. F. E. Blaauvv, in a letter to The Ibis in 1898, 



only to drop its quills gradually, so that it always retained 



the power of flight, he having observed this peculiarity in birds 



of his own." 



* * * 



Blue Wrens in Captivity. — In TJie Avicultural Magazine 

 for March is an account by Mr. Reginald Phillipps of his 

 experiences with the Blue Wren {Malurus cyaneus). He got a 

 pair in May, 1902. In July, 1902, they brought out a young 

 male, which survived its parents and lived till 21st March this 

 year. He is not satisfied that the male Blue Wren is polyga- 

 mous. " In districts where there are not any spare females," 

 says the writer, " each male might naturally be expected to be 

 more or less contented with a single mate ; but where there may 

 happen to be a superabundance of females, especially in a hot 

 climate, the reverse would not by any means be particularly 

 improbable. Possibly, as I suggested in 1902, he may take 

 them in turn, each cast-off mother, as in the case of my birds, 

 being left to look after her own brood by herself. They are 

 said to rear two or three broods between August and January, 

 but perhaps each may be by a different mother; and sometimes, 

 as suggested by Mr. A. G. Campbell, the supposed extra females, 

 or some of them, may be simply young birds — members of the 

 first batch." Of the moulting of the species he says : — " So far 

 as the autumnal moult is concerned — the going out of colour — 

 there seems to be no question. My birds, young and old, males 

 and females, like Mr. A. G. Campbell's, have undergone a 

 complete change of feathers in September and October, the 

 British autumn commencing early in September and completing 

 in October, which about corresponds with March in Australia — 

 the Australian autumn. My young male, bred July, 1902, for 

 the fourth year came into colour this March — the British spring 

 — the process occupying about a fortnight ; and each year the 

 change has taken place in a 6-foot cage in my diningroom. 

 One point is certain — there is no general moult at this season. 

 In the autumn, while the blue feathers are being shed, minute 

 though these feathers are, they can be found and identified 

 owing to their bright colour. Far different is it in the spring, 

 when the feathers shed, if shed they be, are plain whitey-brown 

 things, for the feathers affected are so small it is most difficult 

 to find them, and, if found, to say positively that they come 

 from the Blue Wren. . . . I am of opinion it will be safe to 

 say that Malurus cyaneus obtains his summer plumes by a 

 direct moult of certain of the small feathers." 

 * * # 



Kangaroo Island Birds.— It is learned from TJie South 

 Australian Register (9/8/06) that an adjourned meeting of the 



