28 LITTLER, Notes on Some Birds Peculiar to Tasmania. \^ m Z\- 



panion has to wear all the year round. The female has to be 

 content with a very dingy garb. The upper surface is brown, 

 and the under surface greyish, the tail in some lights appearing 

 of a light shade of blue. 



Regarding the moulting of the male, the following notes are 

 culled from my note book : — " 20th May. — The male Blue Wrens 

 have lost their summer coats." 10th July (same year). — 

 " Noticed a male Blue Wren in summer plumage, the first one I 

 have seen this spring. Evidently it had only recently acquired 

 it, as the colouring was not complete, the grey feathers not all 

 being moulted out." In the Lilydale district, some fifteen miles 

 north-east of Launceston, 17th July was the first date on which 

 the male birds were observed to have moulted that year. 1st 

 July the following year I find that " the Blue Wrens round 

 Launceston have never moulted at all, but still retain their summer 

 plumage." The previous year it was at a much earlier date that 

 they all moulted ; in fact, by the 14th of the month the majority 

 were regaining their pretty coats. " July the 12th. — The Blue 

 Wrens still not moulted." The following year I note : — " On 

 5 th May a male Blue Wren in the garden was still in summer 

 plumage, although all others observed had acquired their winter 

 dress." The date of moulting greatly depends on climatic con- 

 ditions. The nest is placed in a variety of situations, such as 

 blackberry bushes, prickly box bushes, rushes by a river bank, 

 &c. A note of mine reads : — " Found a nest of a Gould's Blue 

 Wren in a prickly box about a foot high ; the nest was placed 

 on the ground, and was composed on the outside of coarse grass, 

 and on the inside of fine rootlets, fibres, &c. ; the lining of the 

 egg cavity was of feathers and the soft down plucked from ripe 

 thistle-heads." The prettiest and best finished nest of this species 



1 have seen was accidentally found in a low clump of blackberries, 

 in the Lilydale district. One evening, whilst returning at dusk 

 from an excursion in the bush, I happened to jump over a small 

 blackberry clump growing in the path. The noise caused a pair 

 of Blue Wrens to fly out. Thinking a nest might be hidden in 

 the clump, I commenced a search, and soon found it snugly 

 hidden among a tangle of interlacing vines. It was composed 

 on the outside of various kinds of grasses, chiefly those possessed 

 of broad blades, and fibres of bark. The inside consisted of the 

 stalks of a soft fine grass, the lining of the egg cavity being wholly 

 thistle down. The shape of the nest differed somewhat from 

 that of any other nests of this species I have found. Over one-half 

 of the egg cavity was built a hood-like projection, as though the 

 little architects had endeavoured to construct a shelter from the 

 rain for the one sitting in the nest. If the sheltering hood were 

 cut away to the rim of the egg cavity the nest would be decidedly 

 round in shape. The greatest circumference was 15 in.; the 

 greatest height, including hood, 5 in. ; width of egg cavity, 



2 in. ; depth of egg cavity, i-| in. ; height of hood-like projection, 

 measured from the rim of egg cavity, 2 in. 



