BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 27 



(Dimensions in ram. of a typical M. cyaneus from Victoria : 

 Length, 124; bill, 7.75; wing, 53; tail, 57; tarsus, 2.) 



Female. Whole of the upper surface, including wings and tail, 

 brown tinged with rufous ; throat and abdomen greyish-white ; 

 flanks brownish; bill, legs, and feet reddish-brown. 



Male (non-breeding plumage}. Upper surface slightly darker 

 than female ; under surface same as female ; feathers of tail always 

 distinctly blue; under surface grey, with the exception of the 

 throat, which is whitish. 



Female (non-breeding plumage}. Upper surface, including tail, 

 brown; under surface as in male. 



Young. Plumage much lighter in colour than that of the adult 

 female or that of the male in winter dress; upper surface, wings, 

 and tail light brown ; under surface dirty-white ; irides light brown ; 

 legs and feet yellow. 



Nest. Globular or oval shaped, with the entrance on one side 

 near the top; grass, fine rootlets, and shredded bark are mostly 

 employed in its construction, the lining being feathers and thistle- 

 down. It is placed in a variety of situations, such as in black- 

 berry bushes, brier and prickly box bushes, rushes by a river 

 bank, &c. 



Eggs. Clutch four usually; inclined to oval in shape; texture 

 of shell very fine ; surface glossy ; ground colour white ; the mark- 

 ings, which are reddish-brown, vary greatly in individual speci- 

 mens; some are greatly spotted all over, not only with moderate- 

 sized spots, but also with very tiny ones, so as to give the egg 

 quite a pinkish tinge; others, again, have the spots closer together 

 at the stouter end so as to form a belt. Dimensions in mm. of a 

 clutch: (1) 18 x 12, (2) 18 x 12.75, (3) 19 x 13; (4) 17.5 x 12.5. 



Breeding Season. September to January usually. 



Geographical Distribution. Tasmania and Furneaux Group. 



Observations. Of all birds found in Tasmania the " Blue-cap" 

 or " Cocktail," as it is variously called, is, perhaps the best known. 

 Almost everywhere throughout the island it is very plentiful, the 

 tiny males in their summer livery making spots of colour among 

 the brier and blackberry bushes. There is great irregularity in the 

 moulting of the males. Some rough notes made at different times 

 on this subject read : " 20th May the male Blue Wrens have lost 

 their summer coats." " 10th July the same year notice the male 

 Blue Wren in summer plumage, it being the first I have seen this 

 spring. Evidently it had only just recently acquired it, as the 

 colouring was not complete, grey feathers not being all moulted 

 out." In the Lilydale district I find that 17th July was the first 

 date on which the male birds were observed to have moulted that 

 year. 1st July the following year I find that " many of the Blue 

 Wrens around Launceston have not moulted at all but still retain 

 their summer plumage." The previous year it was at a much 

 earlier date that they all moulted; in fact, by the 14th of the 



