﻿TASMANIA 
  : 
  ORNITHOLOGICALLY 
  CONSIDERED. 
  327 
  

  

  little 
  stomach. 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  altogether 
  satisfied 
  with 
  this 
  polygamous 
  

   record 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  subject 
  that 
  requires 
  long 
  and 
  close 
  attention, 
  

   at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  under 
  varying 
  circumstances, 
  

   before 
  a 
  really 
  definite 
  conclusion 
  can 
  be 
  arrived 
  at. 
  My 
  opinion 
  

   on 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  pronounced 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  since 
  ; 
  

   lengthened 
  observations 
  have 
  somewhat 
  modified 
  my 
  views. 
  

   Bound 
  bush 
  homesteads 
  the 
  Blue 
  Wren 
  becomes 
  very 
  tame, 
  

   hopping 
  round 
  the 
  doorways, 
  and 
  even 
  into 
  the 
  passages, 
  in 
  

   search 
  of 
  food. 
  When 
  in 
  the 
  scrub 
  it 
  prefers 
  to 
  use 
  its 
  legs 
  

   when 
  moving 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place. 
  Its 
  powers 
  of 
  running 
  are 
  

   very 
  great, 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  nimble 
  as 
  a 
  mouse 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  one 
  when 
  seen 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  off, 
  as 
  it 
  scurries 
  under 
  

   and 
  over 
  the 
  fallen 
  timber. 
  The 
  powers 
  of 
  flight 
  are 
  rather 
  

   feeble, 
  and 
  only 
  resorted 
  to 
  when 
  moving 
  from 
  one 
  locality 
  to 
  

   another, 
  or 
  when 
  suddenhy 
  frightened 
  ; 
  it 
  prefers 
  to 
  trust 
  to 
  its 
  

   legs. 
  The 
  song 
  is 
  weak, 
  but 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  pleasing 
  run 
  of 
  notes, 
  

   uttered 
  usually 
  when 
  perched 
  on 
  some 
  eminence. 
  

  

  The 
  Dark-blue 
  Wren 
  (M. 
  elizabethce) 
  was, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  A.J. 
  Camp- 
  

   bell 
  tells 
  us,* 
  procured 
  on 
  King 
  Island 
  during 
  the 
  visit 
  of 
  the 
  

   Victorian 
  Field 
  Naturalists' 
  Club 
  in 
  1887. 
  At 
  first 
  this 
  species 
  

   was 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  M. 
  gouldi, 
  but 
  a 
  subsequent 
  examination 
  of 
  a 
  

   long 
  series 
  of 
  skins 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Wrens, 
  " 
  from 
  

   Tasmania 
  to 
  the 
  tropics," 
  showed 
  the 
  King 
  Island 
  bird 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   good 
  species. 
  Mr, 
  Campbell 
  says 
  t 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  characteristics 
  of 
  

   the 
  King 
  Island 
  bird 
  are 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  all, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  

   decidedly 
  darker 
  shade 
  of 
  blue 
  — 
  brilliant 
  ultramarine 
  being 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  colour. 
  The 
  tail 
  is 
  dark-blue, 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  quite 
  a 
  

   wash 
  of 
  blue 
  on 
  the 
  buffy 
  white 
  under-surface 
  below 
  the 
  band 
  of 
  

   velvety 
  black, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  primaries. 
  

   The 
  female 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  M. 
  cyaneas, 
  but 
  is 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  

   slightly 
  darker 
  brown 
  in 
  colour, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  bluish 
  tinge 
  in 
  the 
  

   feathers 
  of 
  the 
  tail." 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  is 
  reported 
  as 
  being 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  I 
  am 
  

   rather 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that, 
  as 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  

   ornis 
  extends, 
  the 
  three 
  species 
  — 
  viz. 
  M. 
  cyaneus, 
  M. 
  gouldi, 
  and 
  

   M. 
  elizabethce 
  — 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  grouped 
  under 
  one 
  specific 
  name, 
  

   and 
  that 
  cyaneus. 
  

  

  * 
  ' 
  Nests 
  and 
  Eggs 
  of 
  Australian 
  Birds,' 
  p. 
  1077. 
  

   f 
  Loc. 
  cit. 
  

  

  