BLUE WREN. 
to the height of four feet. I never found them any higher. The majority 
I have found on the ground beneath grass and tussocks. As to the question 
whether the male changes his plumage with the seasons, my observations 
suggest that after three years he does not. It seems to be only the youthful 
male that changes, and I have found these in all changes of plumage from brown, 
grey and slate, to the beautiful metallic blue of the adult bird. Even when 
maturity is reached there is a difference of shade in some of the males, and 
it appears that the brightest birds have the best following. Never more than 
one hen bird is found in company with the male in our gardens, but frequently 
in the bush as many as six or seven are found. There are always more females 
than males to be seen in the bush, and the male is always the last to leave 
cover when flitting from scrub to scrub or from one feeding ground to another. 
Probably he knows his colour is an attraction to hawks or other birds of prey, 
who show him no mercy, and for that reason makes the best of his opportunities. 
I have never discovered that the male assists in building more than one nest, 
though he is credited with being a mormon. At Wonga Park on Nov. 1st, I 
caught a young Wren just leaving the nest. Its markings were: Legs, feet 
and bill flesh-coloured, gape cream, irides brown, feathers on head, back, wings 
and tail ashy-brown, breast fawn. All the males have black beaks and the 
females red.” 
Mr. Frank Littler’s notes on the typical Tasmanian form read : “ Only 
inhabits Tasmania, and is more bulky in build and the blue markings richer 
than the mainland form. May 20th : Wrens have lost their summer coats. 
July 10th: Noticed a male in summer plumage, the first this spring. Evidently 
it had only recently acquired it, as the colour was not complete, the 
grey feathers not being all moulted out. July 1st (next year) : Many of the 
Wrens round Launceston have never moulted, but still retain their blue plumage. 
The previous year it was at a much earlier date that they all moulted, ip fact, 
by the 14th July the majority were regaining their pretty coats. The following 
year, on May 5th, a male in the garden, still in summer plumage, although 
all others I had observed had acquired their winter dress. . . . Young out 
of the nest, but still being fed, were much lighter in plumage than the adult 
female. . . . The male struts round with his tail erect, along and over fallen 
logs he proceeds, darting suddenly to the ground for some titbit, back again 
on to the logs, now perching on a stump to pour forth his little song, then once 
more all on the alert, darting at some fly and poking his little beak into every 
crack and crevice, flitting his tail all the while. When in the scrub, it prefers 
to use its legs when moving from place to place ; its power of running is very 
great ; it is as nimble on its feet as a mouse, in fact it looks like one when seen 
a few yards off, as it scurries over and under logs, etc. The powers of flight 
VOL. x. 
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