INSESSORES. 335 



The male in summer has the head, neck, wings, all the 

 under surface, and tail black ; primaries and secondaries 

 brown ; back and shoulders fine crimson ; bill black ; legs 

 fleshy brown. 



The female is uniform light brown, the abdomen inclining 

 to white ; bill and feet light brown. 



Total length 4 inches ; bill ^ ; wing If ; tail If ; tarsi f . 



Genus AMYTIS, Lesson. 



A form nearly allied to Malurus, strictly Australian, and of 

 which three species are known, inhabiting the southern half 

 of the country, and not occurring in Tasmania. 



Sp. 198. AMYTIS TEXTILIS. 



Textile Wren. 

 Malwrus textilis, Quoy et Gaim. Zool. dePUranie, p. 107, pi. 23. fig. 1. 



Amytis textiUs, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 28. 



The bird figured in the " Voyage de I'TIranie," doubtless 

 represents the present species, while that figured by Lesson 

 in the Atlas to his " Traite d'Ornithologie," and which seems 

 to have been the subject from which he took his generic 

 characters and description, as clearly belongs to A. striatus. 



The only place in which I observed the Textile Wren was 

 the plains bordering the Lower Namoi; and that its range 

 extends far to the northward and westward is tolerably 

 certain. 



In the various positions it assumes, in the elevated carriage 

 of its tail, and in its whole economy, it bears a close re- 

 semblance to the Maluri : like them also it wanders about 

 in small troops of four or six in number, always keeping 

 within a short distance, and returning towards the close of 

 the day to its accustomed haunts. On the Lower Namoi, 



