82 INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS 



in late summer as a general act, and procure a fresh set in 

 early spring. 



Nest. — Dome-shaped ; side entrance ; made of grasses, 

 lined with feathers. Like all the wrens (Maluri) it places 

 the nest near the ground. 



Eggs. — Four or five to a sitting ; white with bright 

 reddish-brown spots upon them, near or far apart, often- 

 times forming a zone round the broad portion. Length, 

 65 inch ; breadth, 5 inch. 



EMU-WREN, 



Stipituriis iiialachuriis, Lath. 



Stip-i-tu'rus mal'ci-hurus. 

 Stipes, a trunk ; oura, tail ; malakos, soft ; oura, tail. 



Stipiturus malachurus, Gould, " Birds of Australia," fol., vol. iii., 



pi. 31. 



Geographical Distribution. — Areas 3, 4, 5, 9. 



Key to the Species. — Tail of emu-like feathers ; head light rufous, 

 broadly striped with black towards the nape. Male has throat 

 light blue, female rufous. Tail, 4| inches ; total length, 6^ 

 inches. 



This tiny bird, with a body only If inches long, is fairly 

 plentiful in the swampy lands with rank grass through 

 them. Especially does this refer to Gippsland. It trusts 

 more to creeping and running among the bushes rather 

 than to flying. As a matter of fact its wings are ill- 

 adapted for this purpose, and when you visit the class of 

 land it inhabits you will at once recognize that it must be 

 half its time unable to fly. This is owing to the saturated 

 state of the leaves causing its plumage to be too damp for 



