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



according to the season, as these white feathers largely fall 

 out at the moult. Mudi depends, too, on the making 

 of a skin as to whether these white feathers show or not. 

 At certain stages of the moult the pendent blue feathers 

 may be very scanty, causing more white to show. After 

 examining a long series from various parts of Australia, 

 Mr. G. M. Mathews and myself are agreed that there is but 

 one species, which must stand as Hallornis cyanotus (Gould) 

 and of which Malurus leuconotus Gould is a synonym. 



The Black and White Wren, Nesomahirus I. leucoj)terus, 

 has also a band of white feathers across the back, concealed 

 by pendent black feathers. 



Leggeornis lamberti occidentalis. 



Red-wiiigcd or Western Blue-breasted Wrens were, 

 common on Dirk Hartog Island, and were much tamer in 

 disposition than either Hallornis cijanotus or Nesomalurus I. 

 leucopterus (Black and White Wrens). The full-plnmaged 

 males of all three of these species arc always much wilder 

 and more wary than the females or immature males, but the 

 adult males of the species now under consideration are 

 tame as compared with the others. Parties of females and 

 immaturcs can always be "chirped" close up, as long as one 

 remains quiet, and, after a little patient waiting, the adult 

 male can almc^st invariably be seen lurking in the foliage of 

 a hush behind the rest of iiis family, and if one still refrains 

 from moving, it will most probably emerge from its shelter 

 and approach to within two or three feet, hopping about 

 in a very confiding way. Sometimes, when I have been 

 watching a party of females and young birds for some time, 

 and turned to move away, I would find the adult male was 

 close behind me. Female birds are distinguished from the 

 immature males by having dull red beaks and lores, and a 

 patch of the same colour round the eye. The immature 

 males lack this red coloration, and have blackish beaks, while 

 their general colouring is darker than that of the females. 

 Females of the Black and White Wren and of Hallornis 

 cyanotus also lack the red lores and mark round the eye. 



