54 



IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



bush fires swept the locality in mid-summer, and 

 doubtless many of the Emu-Wrens, as well as their 

 undiscovered nests, were destroyed. 



The Emu-Wren is a tiny bird of great beauty. 

 The long tail feathers are loosely webbed, resembling 

 those of the Emu, and are held erect over the back. 



HAUNT OF EMU -WRENS, SPRINGFIELD, TASMANIA. 



The blue colouring of the throat distinguishes the 

 male bird, and its tail feathers are more developed 

 than those of the female. The Emu-Wren's wings 

 are short and rounded, and its powers of flight are 

 weak. It is more at home on the ground than in the 

 air, and runs and creeps nimbly as a field mouse. 



I had better fortune among the Emu-Wrens during 

 a holiday at Springfield, Tasmania. Miss J. A. 

 Fletcher, a keen observer, who had charge of the school 

 there, showed me several nests close to her home ; and I 

 discovered two more in a paddock a mile away. Some 



