'28 White, Field Ovuithology in South Australia. [isfXii 



some females and immature males. They flew into the giant salt- 

 bush and disappeared in an instant, and they could not be dislodged 

 again, although we could hear their faint little notes of alarm.- 

 Returning to this spot later in the day, this party of Wrens was 

 surprised, and we procured a fully adult male, some immature males, 

 and a female, which proved to be Malurus callainus. Several days 

 later, further south, on the edge of the mallee Tthis mallee country 

 extends right down past Port Lincoln), we again came in touch with 

 this feathered gem, and this time they were in a large party, but very 

 shy. A dry watercourse, the bed of which was covered with deep, 

 coarse, loose sand, was fairly well covered for five or six hundred 

 yards in width with "scrubby mulga." These bushes were in a mass 

 of blossom, and their thick, drooping foliage gave good shelter to 

 the Wrens. They darted from bush to bush in follow- my-leader 

 fashion. When one broke cover the others followed. Sometimes a 

 beautiful male would perch on the top of a bush, display or extend his 

 glorious mantle, utter a short trill, then dart to cover again. There 

 was no salt-bush for some little distance, therefore I am of the opinion 

 that this bird favours low, thick scrub, and that it takes to the 

 salt-bush, if near, only to hide when hard pressed.- 



Again Malurus callainus came under our notice on our return journey 

 just before leaving the ranges. Again we found it amongst the 

 scrubby mulga bushes growing in a water-course between two ranges,. 

 Dr. Morgan found this bird nesting about this time — i.e., September, 

 191 2 — at the south end of Lake Torrens, but we saw no signs of 

 nesting. This is owing to early rains falling at the southern end of 

 Lake Torrens, and Dr. Morgan informs me that the very strong 

 gales which we experienced during the whole of our trip were not 

 felt further north. 



Malurus morgani (White), sub-species of M. assimilis. Morgan's 

 Wren (see Austral Avian Record, vol. i.. No. 5, p. 126). — I at first took 

 this b'rd for M. assimilis, but, on comparing, I find it has a distinct 

 shade of blue on the crown of the head, and that the ear coverts are 

 of a much lighter shade. This is consistent in all specimens procured, 

 and on comparing skins made by Dr. Morgan some few years before, 

 in the Gawler Ranges, 1 find that they are the same. I consider this 

 to be a good sub-species. 



Malurus cyanotus. White-winged Wren. — This white-winged beauty 

 was met with on the salt-bush plains, but seldom, if ever, found in 

 the ranges. For 30 miles round Port Augusta, in the salt-bush 

 country, these little birds were very numerous, but as we worked 

 south, parallel with Spencer Gulf, we lost them, and M. callainus 

 took their place. Heading north again, we picked them up at the 

 northern end of Lake Gillies, but not in any numbers. They were 

 again observed on our return journey north of the ranges, always out 

 on the salt-bush plains. We did not see any indication of nesting, 

 although Dr. Morgan found them breeding at the south end of Lake 

 Torrens during Septetnber. 



Amytornis modesta. Thick-billed Grass-Wren. — Both Mrs. White 

 and our man (Thos. A.sh) informed me they had seen a brown, 

 skulking bird in the salt-bush, and, calling to me, showed where it 

 had disappeared. We spent hours trying to make it break cover^ 

 without success. It was not till we were on our homeward track, 

 and had reached Myall Creek, that we were fortunate enough to 



