^'°''i^il'^'] Whitlock, Notes on North-Westevn Birds. \nn 



islands of the Dampier Archipelago, the majority being much nearer 

 the mainland (Barrow Island is distant about 30 miles), but, though 

 I kept a very sharp look-out, I could discover no species of Wren on 

 any of them. But I observed a blue-and-white Wren with a party 

 of brown birds near Cossack, and on my return from Barrow Island 

 I secured a specimen, as well as a brown bird accompanying him. 

 A second party met with the same day, unfortunately without a 

 nuptial-plumaged male, closely resembled females and immature 

 Black-and-White Wrens. The easiest guide under such circum- 

 stances is the more feeble appearance of the birds and the shorter and 

 darker central tail feathers when compared with females and im- 

 mature forms of Maluvus cyanotus. I have little doubt in my own 

 mind that two specimens secured should be referred to the Black-and- 

 White species. 



Mr. H. L. White kindly lent me No. 4, vol. iii., of the Austral Avian 

 Record, containing Mr. Tom Carter's notes on the Black-and-White 

 Wren (M . leucopteriis) of Dirk Hartog Island, a locality some 500 

 miles south of IBarrow Island. I can fully endorse all Mr. Carter's 

 field notes, which agree with my experiences on Barrow Island. 



[Skins of the Black-and-White Wren procured by Mr. Whitlock, 

 which Mr. H. L. White kindly permitted me to examine, may be 

 briefly described thus : — 



Adult Male. — Primaries brownish-black edged with greyish-blue ; 

 side of breast, scapulars, inner (upper) secondaries, and upper wing 

 coverts pure white ; tail bluish, transversely minutely barred with 

 black ; rest of plumage glossy steel or bluish black. Eyes deep 

 brown ; bill black ; feet nearly black (Whitlock). 



Adult Female. — Fawn colour or cinnamon-drab above ; under parts 

 whitish, except flanks and tibia, which are light brown ; tail bluish- 

 grey, primaries edged with same colour. Eyes deep brown ; bill 

 horn colour, paler at base and under mandible ; feet dark brown 

 (Whitlock). 



Dimensions in mm. : — 

 o — Length, 11 5-1 18 ; wing, 45 ; tail, 60 ; tarsus, 17-18 ; culmen, 8. 



?— .. 113-117; .. 43; .. 55; .. 16-18; ,, 8-9. 



The following are the measurements given by Mathews of a male 

 from Dirk Hartog Island (A.A.R., iii.. No. 4, p. 87) : — 



Length, 112; wing, 44; tail, 55 ; tarsus, 19; culmen, 9. 



There is no tangible difference in coloration of the female of the 

 Blue-and-White Wren of the mainland (opposite) and the female of 

 the Black-and-White Wren from Barrow Island. The .latter may be 

 a sensation darker. 



Length, 115 ; wing, 40-42 ; tail, 60; tarsus, 17 ; culmen, 8-10. 



I originally described the Black-and-White Wren from Barrow 

 Island in the Victorian Naturalist (xvii., p. 203, 1901) as Malurus 

 edouardi. Subsequently I was inclined to agree with the late Mr. 

 \. J. North's opinion that I had re-described Quoy and Gaimard's 

 jong-lost M. leucopterus (see Emu, i., pp. 26_and 65, 66, with figs.) 

 If so, I fear my friend Mr. Carter's claim to re-discovery has been 

 anticipated. Neverthetess, Mathews cites {A.A.R., iii., p. 88) what 

 he considers sub-specific differences : — " The former (Dirk Hartog 



