MALURUS LAMBERTI, Vigors § Horsjield. 

 Lambert's Malurus. 



PLATE LXXII. Fig. 2. 



M. fronte, striga subauriculari dorsoque medio coeruleis; gula, pectore, dorso infe- 

 riore uropigioque nigerrimis, scapularibus rufis, abdomine albo, remigibus rec- 

 tricibusque brunescentibus, coeruleo tinctis. 



Variegated Warbler, Letvin, Birds of New Holland; pi. xv. 



Superb Warbler, Phillip's Voyage to New South Wales, p. 157- pi. .—Lath. Gen. Hist. 



vol. vii. p. 117- 

 Malurus Lamberti, Fig. § Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xv. p. 221. 



This species appears to have been confounded by some authors with the 

 following ; but the distribution of the colours is so different, that we can- 

 not well see how the mistake has arisen, unless from the similarity of the 

 females and the young to those of M. cyaneus. 



Lewin remarks, that the Variegated Warbler " inhabits thick bushy 

 woods ; frequents the low bushes, creeping close to the ground in search 

 offood. This bird always goes in small flocks, among which it is remark- 

 able that only one male is to be seen in full plumage, and they arrive not 

 at that state till the third year. The male is a cheerful active bird, always 

 singing on little elevated bushes it meets on the way. The species does 

 not migrate." The circumstance of only one male being seen in the 

 small flocks, may be explained by the length of time requisite to attain 

 complete plumage, and by the broods keeping together until the season of 

 incubation is again about to commence. 



Total length is five inches and a quarter, of which the tail makes two 

 and three quarters. The forehead, above the eyes, a streak upon the 

 cheeks, and half down each side of the neck, rich verditer-blue ; the upper 

 part of the head is umber-brown, tinged with verditer-blue, next a crescent 

 of very deep black upon the neck and upper part of the back ; bordering 

 the black is another crescent of purplish ultramarine, which also runs down 



o 



