1 9 17'] DivJ^ Harlay Island and Peron Jeninau/a. 5'J7 



splendens, Legyeornis lamherti occidcnialls, aad HaUurnls 

 cyunotus, the brilliant colouring appears at the base of the 

 feathers first, below the outer plumage of loose open texture. 

 This plumage of loose texture seems to wear away, or fall otf', 

 as the coloured plumage grows up from below. 



After October 26 most of the adult males began to moult, 

 their white scapulars seeming to fall out first. Some im- 

 mature males beginning to assume full plumage, were noted 

 on or about October 10. 



Two or three of the adult males obtained had small 

 patches of ultramariue-blue feathers amid the black of the 

 chest and throat. Occasionally an adult male was seen with 

 small tufts of pure white feathers amid the body plumage. 

 From the above-mentioned patches of blue colour it may be 

 assumed that ages ago, before Dirk Hartog became separated 

 from the mainland, this species was identical with the then 

 existing type of mainland birds. 



Average measurements of an adult male in inches : — 

 Total length 4-75 ; wing 1-82 ; tail 2-25. 



Skins of adult males from Dirk Hartog, compared with 

 skins of N. I. edouardi from Barrow Island in the Perth 

 Museum, are darker in general colour and have tails of 

 richer blue ; but as it is fifteen years since the Museum 

 birds were mounted, they have probably faded. N. I. edouardi 

 has the wing 5 mm. longer than N. I. leucopterus, but the 

 latter has the larger bill. 



Stipiturus malachurus hartogi. (Plate XI.) 

 Stipiturus malachurus hartoyi Carter, Bull. B. O. C. 

 xxxvii. 1916, p. 6. 



The Dirk Hartog Emu- Wren is another most interesting 

 discovery made on that island last year, because, so far as is 

 known at present, this island form is not a connecting link 

 between Stipiturus m. westernensis of the extreme south-west 

 corner of Western Australia (about 600 miles to the south) 

 and Stipitwus m. ruficeps *, which occurs 250 miles north on 

 the North-west Cape peninsula, and so far has not been 



* See A. J. Campbell, ' Ibis,' 1899, p. 399, pi. vii. 



