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



recorded south of there. Tlie subspecies under consideration 

 is quite distinct from either of the above, and was only 

 observed on Dirk Hartog. 



When riding towards the north end of the island with 

 Mr. Lloyd on 27 April, 1916, I was so much struck with 

 the great probability of the prevailing scrub containing 

 Emu- Wrens, that I asked Mr. Lloyd if he had ever seen 

 any there, and described the general appearance of the 

 birds. Mr. Lloyd replied that he thought he had noticed 

 such birds, and as he was riding ahead of me^ he promised 

 to keep a look out for any. On the afternoon of the 

 second day (April 28) he stopped and shouted that he 

 thought he saw a pair of the birds creeping about in 

 the lower part of a small wattle-bush. One of them 

 was soon secured, a male, differing from any Emu- Wren 

 previously handled by me ; and further on our way the 

 same afternoon, three more specimens were obtained. No 

 more of the birds were observed while at my camp at the 

 north-east corner of the island, but a few were seen on the 

 west coast, and when riding across the island on May 5 

 back to the east coast, more Emu- Wrens were seen than 

 at any subsequent date. On one part of the track the 

 dense growth of low thick scrub matted with creepers 

 and also patches of dwarf Ti-tree {Melaleuca) seemed full 

 of them, and as these birds are extremely unobtrusive, 

 many more would be passed unseen. They creep about in a 

 very mouse-like way^ and do not fly much, but when they 

 do, the flight is straight, with tail extended horizontally, and 

 in bright sunlight the tail-feathers sometimes glisten in the 

 sun, so that these tiny birds might be mistaken for large 

 dragon-flies. At times they simply dart (run) across any 

 patch of open ground between bushes at an extraordinary 

 speed for their size, and then resemble mice more than 

 birds. By keeping quiet, one can readily watch them, and 

 they can be " chirped " close up, but do not come out much 

 from the actual shelter of the bushes. The male birds always 

 appeared to be bolder, or more inquisitive, than the females, 

 lu strong winds they naturally keep under cover, and are 



