OTWAY SCRUB-WREN 285 
Mr. Morrow, of Ballarat, took the photograph facing 
p. 284 of a nest in an old straw hat at Mr. Berthon's 
Wybalenna homestead, Airey's Inlet, Christmas, 191 2. 
When the nest was being built the hat was hanging 
on a peg against the wall just inside a door which 
was always left open, and the birds flew in and out to 
it. The nest was not discovered till in the holidays 
some one took the hat down to wear it, and then the 
birds deserted the nest before having laid. The hat 
was put on the floor to be photographed, as in its 
original position no part of the nest was visible, except 
one or two pieces of material sticking out. 
The entrance to the nest is at the side, usually 
slightly protected by a hood." The lining is of 
soft feathers, and frequently contains one or more 
feathers of the Rosella Parrot. Eggs number three, 
and are large for the size of the bird. They somewhat 
resemble those of the Sparrow, and are of a purplish- 
white ground-colour with a ring of confluent spots 
and blotches about the larger end. 
BLUE WREN 
Malurus cyaneus henriettce 
One good word the lover of birds may say for the 
African box thorn, and that is that wherever it has 
established itself it has materially assisted in the 
increase of the Blue Wren, one of the loveliest and 
most charming of our native species. I think every- 
one knows these cheerful little things. Both sexes 
