590 Mr. T. Carter on the Birds of [Ibis, 



1818, was re-discovered by me last year (1916), the con- 

 fusion which has so long- existed between M. leucopierus and 

 M. cyanotus is now satisfactorily cleared up, as the original 

 species, of which the type has been lost for 98 years, proves 

 to be a black and white, and not a blue and white form. 

 The remaining point still in dispute is whether there is a 

 Blue and White, White-backed Wren, in addition to the 

 well-known Blue and White, Blue-backed Wren. It is my 

 belief that these two species are the same, and I will give 

 my reason for this. 



White-winged Wrens, i. e. the blue and white form, were 

 not seen anywhere on Dirk Hartog Island, and apparently do 

 not occur there, but they are on the mainland immediately 

 south of the island, so that it appears that the narrow strip 

 of water called the South Passage, which at one place is 

 barely a mile in width and about two and a half fathoms in 

 depth, proves an insuperable barrier to these small birds. 



Mr. Edwards, Inspector of Fisheries for Shark's Bay, who 

 wished to investigate the vicinity of the False Entrance 

 (which at times has been mistaken by the skippers of 

 passing vessels for the Soutii Passage, and which it much 

 resembles from the sea), asked me if I would care to accom- 

 pany him on a trip u[) Useless Inlet for this purpose. As 



I was very anxious to visit the mainland there (Edel Land) 

 and find out whether it was the Black and White, or Blue 

 and White Wren which occurred there, I at once accepted 

 the offer, and we sailed in the Government cutter on 



II December, 1916, from Denham, rounded Heirisson Head, 

 and sailed about thirty miles up Useless Inlet, beyond which 

 distance the water was shallow. We had an afternoon 

 ashore with guns, and the whole of the next day, in which 

 time we traversed a good deal of the conntry (see map). 

 Many Hallornis cyanotus were seen, and a male example 

 was shot to prove the species. There were no signs of any 

 Black and White Wrens in tliat locality. 



Halloi'tiis cyanotus was observed on different parts of 

 the Peron, but was not common at the time of ray visit 

 there, viz. November 10 to January 19. This species is 



