INSESSORES. 339 



Sp. 201. STIPITURUS MALACHURUS, Less. 



Emu Wren. 



Muscicapa malachura, Lath. Ind. Oru., Supp. pi. 52. 



Soft-tailed Flycatcher, Linn. Trans., vol. iv. p. 242, pi. 21. 



Malurus malachurus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 224. 



palustris, Vieill., 2°'''' edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn. xx. 



p. 214. 

 Stipiturus malachurus, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 415. 

 Soft-tailed Warbler, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 123. 

 Waw-gul-jelly, Aboi-igines of New South Wales. 

 Djur-jeel-ya, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia. 



Stipiturus malacliurus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol iii. 

 pL3L 



This curious little bird has a wide distribution, since it 

 inhabits the whole of the southern portion of Australia, from 

 Moreton Bay on the east to Swan River on the west, including 

 Tasmania. Among the places where it is most numerous in 

 the latter country, are the swampy grounds in the neighbour- 

 hood of Recherche Bay in D'Entrecasteaux Channel, the 

 meadows at New Norfolk, Circular Head, and Flinders 

 Island in Bass's Straits ; on the continent of Australia, 

 Botany Bay and, indeed, all portions of the country having a 

 similar character are favoured with its presence. 



The Emu Wren is especially fond of low marshy districts 

 covered with rank high grasses and rushes, where it conceals 

 itself from view by keeping near the ground in the midst of 

 the more dense parts of the grass-beds. Its extremely short 

 round wings ill adapt it for flight, and this power is con- 

 sequently seldom employed, the bird depending for progres- 

 sion upon its extraordinary capacity for running : in fact, 

 when the grasses are wet from dew or rain, its wings are 

 rendered perfectly unavailable. On the ground it is alto- 

 gether as nimble and active, its creeping mouse-like motions, 

 and the extreme facility with which it turns and bounds over 



z 2 



