iSz Royal Aitstralasian Ornithologists' Union.. [isf'"}".!. 



with incubated eg!;s, but not a lull complement, I generally examine 

 the ground below, and ha\'e more than once found a Cuckoo's egg 

 in this manner. 



The greater number of nests were very low down — a height of 

 one foot would be the average ; but two nests were placed in the 

 topmost branches of Hakea bushes, the highest being about three and 

 a half feet from the ground. Mr. H. L. White is describing the eggs 

 and nests. One fact relating to the latter rather surprised me. 

 Vegetable dowm — i.e., small plumed seeds — was invariably used in 

 the lining in preference to sheep's wool, which might have been easily 

 procured close at hand. When the stems of Triodia had matured 

 seed, and were drying off, this Wren often gave its nest a finishing 

 touch by weaving the feathery heads around the entrance. It was 

 often necessary to spend an hour waiting for a Wren to appear and 

 own a nest where the full complement of eggs had not been laid. In 

 one case the first arrivals were a party of Purple-backed Wren- 

 Warblers (M . assimilis'. comprising two nuptial males and three or 

 four brown males or females. I was not to be taken in, and at length 

 two br<'>wn-plumaged Pied Wrens (M. leucoptenis; put in an appear- 

 ance, one of which came up to the nest. I once or twice flushed the 

 female from a nest containing young only a few hours old. I wailed 

 about for a long time, wishing to learn if the male helped in feeding 

 the offspring ; but neither male nor female came to the nest whilst 

 I remained near. I am inclined to the opinion that newly-hatched 

 young require no food for the first 24 hours. I had the same experi- 

 ence with the local Emu-Wren (Siipitiirus. 



It is very easy to distinguish the bi'own-plumaged birds of M. 

 leucoplerus from those of M. assimilis. The latter possess hazel- 

 brown beaks and are much more robust generally, apart from the 

 wings and flanks being of a different tint. Call note and alarm note, 

 too, are distinct. 



The breeding season, in an average year, extends from June to the 

 end of September. Many pairs rear two broods. 



Malurus assimilis. Purple-backed Wren-Warbler. — Mr. ^'arter calls 

 this the Western Blue-breasted Wren. Certainly, the feathers of the 

 breast, if held in certain lights, are black shot with blue, but the true 

 Western Blue-breasted Wrens are Malurus pulcherrimus and Malurus 

 elegans. Viewed from any angle, the breast feathers of these two 

 Wrens show a deep indi.go tint. This Wren is found on Dirk Hartog. 

 and more commonly on Peron Peninsula. It haunts \-er\' large 

 Acacia or other well-grown bushes rather than the salt-bush country. 

 ^Ir. Carter states that he has never heard this species uttering any 

 song. It has a few brief rattling notes and a high-pitched alarm note, 

 like that of the Grass-Wren (Amytornis textilis) ; but I agree with 

 him that it is generally a verv silent and unobtrusive bird, though 

 this is not due to timiditv. 1 found it nesting on Dirk Hartog Island. 



Stipiturus malachurus liartogi. Dirk Hartog Emu-Wren. —I did 

 not find this Emu-Wren so common as I expected after reading Mr. 

 Carter's notes. Possibly I did not search far enough north. On my 

 first visit to Dirk Hartog, October, 191 8. I met with but one pair, 

 and secured the female. I was natur?Jly anxious to become 

 acquainted with the male, as the local race seems to exhibit well- 

 marked differences from the coastal birds in the extreme soutli of 

 Western Australia. 



I found a nest containing two incul)atcd eggs on iith July, 1920, 



