148 NATITEAL HISTOET SKETCHES. 



which was not common with us, and very local. But the 

 rarest of all was the purple-breasted robin, the smallest 

 of all, sooty black, with no white on the forehead, and 

 a deep plum-coloured breast. This was a shy solitary 

 bird, and I always found it singly in the thickest scrub. 

 In habits the Australian robin resembles the home 

 bird, but it has no song. 



"We had a curious little bird which we called the 

 Swallow diceum, in size and habits much resembling the 

 golden-crested wren of Europe. The body colour purple- 

 blue, like the swallow, with a red throat and under-tail 

 coverts. It was an irregular visitant to our parts, had 

 a deep loud call-note, and frequented the large gums, 

 being very partial to the bunches of mistletoe which grow 

 on those trees ; they are extremely difficult to see, on 

 account of their small size and habits. 



Of the Wrens we had about four varieties. The Su- 

 perb Warbler, or blue wren, one of the most splendid 

 little birds in the colony. The Emu, or pheasant wren, 

 the smallest and most curious of all the bush birds ; and 

 two other species, but I am not certain whether these 

 were true wrens, although we called them so. These 

 latter we always found in small bushes by the edges of 

 the creeks or swamps ; they were both mottled, black, and 

 brown, and one had a faint but rather pretty whistle. 



The Superb Warbler is certainly rightly named, for I 

 don't think there is a handsomer warbler in the world. 

 This is a small bird, with a jet-black body, long fan- 

 shaped tail ; the neck, shoulders, and part of the back 



