During the breeding season a dome-shaped nest, formed of grass and lined with feathers, is 

 placed in a bush or tuft of grass, and sometimes, but not often, in a tree. The eggs are pinky-white, 

 freckled and blotched with reddish-brown. They are four in number, and are eight lines long by five 

 and a half lines broad. 



This bird rears two broods in the season, and morever acts as foster-parent to the young of 

 the Bronze Cuckoo, whose single egg is often laid in the nest. 



The male has the head, ear-coverts, and a lunar-shaped mark on the upper part of the back 

 light blue ; lores, occiput, chest, and back, black ; wings, brown ; tail, blue ; tail-coverts and under 

 surface, greyish-white ; irides and bill, light brown ; legs and feet, dark brown. 



The female has the lores and a circle round the eye reddish-brown ; upper surface, wings, 

 and tail, brown ; under surface, greyish-white. 



Habitats : New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia. 



MALURUS MELANOTUS (Gould). 



BLACK-BACKED SUPERB WARBLER. 



IN the scrubby places bordering the river Murray in Victoria and South Australia, this species is- 

 fairly common, though, on account of its shyness, great difficulty is experienced in procuring 

 specimens. In appearance and general characteristics it is a medium between Malurus Cymwus and 

 Malurus Splendens, but exceeds either of them in its running powers, which are very great. In habits 

 it resembles the other members of the group. 



The male has the back of the neck, a line through the eye, a band across the chest, and the 

 rump, black ; lores and patch beneath the eye, white ; wings, light brown, tinged with green across the 

 middle ; tail, greenish-blue ; all the rest of the plumage beautiful metallic blue ; irides, brown ; bill, 

 grey ; legs and feet, blackish-brown. 



The female has the lores and a circle surrounding the eye, reddish-brown , all the upper 

 surface, brown ; under surface, brownish-white ; wings, brown ; tail, green ; bill, reddish-brown. 



Total length of male, 4f inches; bill, A inch; wing, 2 inches; tail, 2^ inches; tarsi, f inch. 



Habitats : Victoria and South Australia. 



