Official Organ of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 



Birds of Zl fe%tber. 



Vol. XIX.] ist JULY, 1919. [Part i. 



Black-and-white Wren^ Warbler (Malurus leucopterus). 



HV A. J. C.UIFKKLL, C.M.B.O.U. 



There is much liistoric and ornithological interest surrounding 

 the Black-and-W'hite Wren, first discovered in 1818 on Dirk 

 Hartog Island, W.A., by Quoy and Gaimard, collectors attached 

 to the French survey ship Uranie, and originally called Merion 

 leucoptere. 



The Black-and-White Wren did not appear again until 1901, 

 when the writer, through the courtesy of the late Bernard Wood- 

 ward, Western Australian Museum, described the Barrow Island 

 bird before the Field NaturaUsts' Club of Victoria (see J'ictorian 

 Naturalist, xvii., p. 203), and more recently (1916) Mr. Tom Carter, 

 M.B.O.U., procured specimens from the original locality, Dirk 

 Hartog Island (see Ibis for October, 1917) ; and Mr. G, M. Mathews 

 furnished coloured figures of the male and female in The A ustral 

 Avian Record, vol. iii., No. 4. 



The two island varieties (males) are now figured (Coloured Plate 

 I.), together with their mainland representative, the Blue-and- 

 White Wren {Malurus cyanotus), all the specimens being taken 

 from the " H. L. White Collection," National Museum, Mel- 

 bourne. 



As previously stated (/:/»//, xviii., p. 2()()), the chief points of 

 difference between the Barrow Island bird and that of Dirk 

 Hartog Island are that the latter [leucopterus) has the darker blue 

 tail (deep, dull violaceous blue), corresponding with the colour 

 of that of the Blue-and-White Wren {cyanotus) of the mainland. 

 The tail of the former {edouardi) is a more greyish-violaceous blue, 

 while the female edouardi nearly resembles the colour (fawn) of 

 the female Blue-and-Whitc bird, the female leucopterus l)eing 

 lighter (drab). It also appears that the feathers of the lower 

 part of the tibia of the male leucopterus are dusky grey, as in 

 cyanotus, while tlie entire tibia of edouardi is black. From an 

 examination of workable material these differences seem constant, 

 and, there being no intermediate forms of the Black-and-White 

 species, the two varieties may be separated on visual examination, 

 without the assistance of attached labels. 



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