328 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



C. — Head black. 

 The Orange-Tjacked Wren, M. melanocephalus. — Central and Eastern 

 Australia. Head and neck all round as well as the entire under 

 surface of the body velvet.y-blaek; the back scarlet-vermilion. 



The Red-backed Wren, M. cnientatus (dorsalis). — North and North-east 

 Australia. — The black predominating as in the jjreceding, and even 

 more extended; the back dark crimson. 



The Black and White Wren, 1/. edouardi. — Barrow Island ofe North-west 

 Australia; found amongst spinifex grass. (A. J. Campbell). General 

 colour glossy blue-black; scapxilars, inner secondaries, and upper 

 wing-coverts pure white. 



Genus Stipitunis. 

 Ten tail feathers. Tail feathers stiff, with spiny shafts and 

 loose webs, the latter lax and separate. 



The Emu Wren. 



ISfipiturus malacliurus. 



Southern Australia, from East to West, Tasmania. 



Head light rufous, broadly striped with black towards the nape; 

 upper surfaces brown; tail feathers blackish; throat and fore neck light 

 blue; breast brown; abdomen whitish. In the female, head ashy grey; 

 throat fulvous. Length 6.2, wing 1.5.1, tail 4.1 inches. 



This curious little bird, with its long erect tail of isolated 

 plumes, like those of the Emu in their loose structure, occurs in 

 little flocks on swampy ground, covered with rank high grasses 

 and rushes, especially near the coast. Its short round wings are 

 ill adapted for flight, and it runs along the ground, or creeps 

 amongst the coarse herbage in mouse-like fashion, uttering a 

 little twitter as it goes. The nest is oval or round, with a large 

 side entrance, and is placed under the shelter of a tuft of over- 

 hanging grass or rushes. It is composed of grasses and lined 

 with soft material. The eggs are three, white sprinkled with 

 spots and dots of reddish-brown, and measure .64 x .5 inch. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell has described a much smaller bird from 

 North-west Australia. The specimen, a female, had the crown 

 of the head rufous-brown, and the tail feathers were not so 

 lengthened or so filamentary or loose in structure. Length 3.9, 

 wing 1.4, tail 1.95 inches. He has named it the Rufous-crowned 



