68 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



Tail : Deep-blue (new.) 



The autumn plumage will be disfigured by "browns." 



Specimen 7. — Adult male (approx. 3 years old), 24/8/97. Dorsal 

 plumage brown with heavy outcrops of blue-black, and a few 

 signs of coming "blues." Tail, deep-blue ; abdomen, a fairly 

 clear white ; and secondary quills without any greenish-blue. 

 These three characters help to indicate the age. This bird has 

 simply to throw off a mass of " brown," and it will appear in all 

 its glory. 



Specimen 8. — Adult male (more than 3 years' old), 27/8/96. It 

 is much like the skin of 24/8/97. The outer webs of the second- 

 ary quills shew only a faint trace of blue on two of them. It is 

 not so mature a bird as those of 20/4/97 and 24/8/97. 



Specimen 9. — Adult male (more than 3 years old), 4/5/98. 



Head : Only a few " browns " remain, and " blues " are still 

 bursting, especially from the forehead. 



Mantle : " Blues," about equal with the " browns," but these 

 are maturing blues beneath the surface. 



Throat : " Blue-blacks " have appeared ; only four " browns " 

 remain, and this is the first part to arrive at maturity. 



Cheeks have nearly all their "blues." 

 ^ Nape : The blacks are hidden by the browns, but beneath 

 they are in evidence. 



Secondary quills show their outer edges to be washed with 

 faint blue ; not so distinctly as in the skin of 24/8/97, but more 

 so than in that of 27/8/96. Tips of quills tend to whiten ; both 

 autumn and spring quills in these fully matured birds show this. 



Abdomen is clear white ; flanks have many browns still to fall. 



Tail : Deep blue. 



This is the blue-wren so many of us see in the winter — the 

 so-called scarce bird — as it comparatively is. 



Specimen 10. — Adult male (more than 3 years' old), 20/4/97. 

 Almost in full livery. 



Forehead, crown, mantle and cheeks : Blues still coming ; 

 while two large brown feathers still remain as evidence of a 

 former plainly dressed stage. 



Throat : This region shews the last of the blue-blacks bursting 

 in the season. 



Secondary quills edged with greenish-blue, not as intense as 

 that of 24/8/97, but on a par with that of 4/5/98. 



