MALURUS CORONATUS, Gould. 
Crowned Wren. 
Malurus coronatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxv. p. 221. 
Charming as are many of the smaller Australian birds, I think the present species is entitled to the palm 
for elegance and beauty, not only among the members of its own genus, numerous and beautiful as they 
really are, but among any other groups of birds yet discovered ; the charm, too, is considerably enhanced 
by the great novelty in the style of its colouring ; for in how few birds do we find the lovely lilac tint which 
encircles and adorns the head of this bird : a similar tint, it is true, pervades the nape of the Chlamyderce 
(Bower birds) ; but I scarcely know of any third instance. 
Having premised thus much respecting this new Malurus , I now come to the painful task of naming its 
collector ; I say painful because the gentleman who shot and brought it to this country has fallen, like 
many other Australian explorers, a victim to the climate of that country, good and congenial to Europeans 
as it generally is. It will be recollected by all those who take an interest in scientific explorations, that 
Mr. Elsey accompanied A. C. Gregory, Esq., as surgeon and naturalist on his great journey from the 
Victoria River, on the north-west coast of Australia, to Moreton Bay, where the entire party safely arrived, 
and Mr. Elsey returned to England ; it soon, however, became evident that he had contracted the disease 
called haemoptysis , and he was speedily obliged to remove to a warmer climate : he selected one of the West 
India Islands, and, on arriving, commenced his investigations with his usual spirit ; hut he rapidly became 
worse, and science shortly had to deplore the loss of one of her most enthusiastic votaries. The little I 
saw of this gentleman impressed me with the belief that he had a lively taste for nature ; and had he been 
spared, I feel assured he would have distinguished himself greatly in one or other branch of the natural 
sciences. 
All that is known of the Malurus coronatus is that it is an inhabitant of the countries bordering the 
Victoria River. Both sexes were procured, and they now form part of our collection at the British Museum. 
The male has the crown of the head rich lilac-purple, with a triangular spot of black in the centre, and 
hounded below by a band of velvety black, which, commencing at the nostrils, passes backwards through 
the eye, dilates upon the ear-coverts, and meets at the back of the neck ; hack and wings light brown ; tail 
bluish green, becoming of a deeper hue towards the extremity ; lateral feathers margined externally and 
tipped with white ; under surface huffy white, becoming gradually deeper on the flanks and vent ; irides 
brown ; bill black ; feet fleshy brown. 
The female has all the upper surface light brown ; lores and space behind the eye white ; ear-coverts 
chestnut ; in other respects she is similar to the male. 
The figures are of the natural size. The plant represented in the upper part of the Plate is the Schoenia 
oppositfolia ; that below is the Genetyllis tulipfera. 
