Genus — M ALURUS. 
Malurus Vieillot, Analyse nouv. Ornith., p. 44, April 14, 
1816. Type (by monotypy) ... ... ... ... Motacilla cyanea. 
Malacurus Gloger, Hand-und Hilfsbuch, 1842, p. 282, emendation of Malurus. 
Small brilliantly coloured birds with medium bills, short wings, very long 
tails and long weak legs and feet. The face adorned with erectile ear-coverts. 
The bill is shorter than the head, culmen not much arched, tip decurved, sharp 
and posteriorly notched ; nasal groove about one-third the length of the exposed 
culmen, linear nostrils operculate, feathers encroaching on to the bill but not 
hiding the nostrils ; there are no nasal bristles, but half a dozen rather weak 
rictal ones ; upper mandible rather narrow and culmen keeled with a gradual 
basal expansion ; lower mandible medium, interramal space small and feathered. 
The wing is short, with the first primary about half the length of the third, 
the second less than the third also and a little shorter than the secondaries ; 
the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh longest and subequal, the third equal to the 
eighth and little shorter than the preceding. 
The tail is longer than the wing and strongly graduated, forming a fan. 
The legs are long and slender, the front of the tarsus booted, the hind-part 
bilaminate ; the feet are weak, the claws short and curved ; the outer and 
inner toes are subequal and with the claw equal to the middle-toe alone ; the 
hind-toe and claw is scarcely stouter than the middle toe and claw and 
these are about equal, the toe being a shade short and the claw a shade 
longer respectively. 
I 
Key to the Species. 
The abdomen and under tail-coverts white Male M. cyaneus 
The abdomen and under tail-coverts blue „ 
Black band across the rump „ M. melanotus 
No black band across the rump „ M. splendens 
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