THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
1903 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., 2nd ed., p. 110, 1906 ; Mathews, Hand! Birds Austral., 
p. 78, 1908 ; Mellor, Emu, Vol. XII., p. 185, 1913. 
Malurus melanotus melanotus Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 358, 1912 ; id., List 
Birds Austr., p. 224, 1913. 
Malurus melanotus victories Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 358, Jan. 31st, 1912 : 
Carina, Victoria. 
Malurus melanotus whitei Mathews, ib. 
Malurus melanotus callainus Mathews, ib. ; id., List Birds Austr., p. 224, 1913. 
Malurus melanotus germaini Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 359, Jan. 31st, 1912 : 
Port Germain ( recte Germein), South Australia. 
Distribution. South-western Queensland and Western New South Wales, Victoria 
and Central and Southern Australia reaching to Western Australia border. 
Adult male. Crown of head, nape, hind-neck, mantle, back, and upper tail-coverts 
turquoise-blue ; lores, a line behind the eye extending along the sides of the crown, 
and a band across the hind-neck, reaching to the sides of the neck, velvety-black like 
the band across the fore-neck, back and rump ; scapulars black with blue tips to 
the feathers ; upper wing-coverts and outer aspect of primary and secondary- quills 
dull green more or less tinged with blue on the median and greater coverts, some 
of the lesser, or marginal series bronze-brown, inner webs of flight-quills dark hair- 
brown ; tail dark greenish-blue with whitish tips to some of the feathers ; sides 
of face including the eylids very pale turquoise-blue ; throat and fore-neck cobalt- 
blue ; breast, abdomen, thighs, under tail-coverts, and sides of body similar but 
rather paler with a few yellow feathers intermixed on the abdomen ; axillaries 
and marginal under wing-coverts greenish-blue, the greater series and inner margins 
of quills below whitish-buff, remainder of quill-lining hair-brown ; lower aspect of 
tail similar to its upper surface but somewhat paler. Bill and feet black, eyes 
brown. Total length, 136 mm. ; culmen 8, wing 51, tail 59, tarsus 24. Figured. 
Collected at Port Germein, South Australia. 
Adult female. General colour of the upper surface mouse-brown including the top of 
the head, sides of face, sides of neck, hind-neck, entire back, upper tail-coverts, 
and wings ; outer edges of flight-quills greyish-green, inner webs hair-brown with 
pale margins ; tail greenish-blue with white tips to some of the feathers, with dark 
obsolete cross-bars ; lores and eyelids pale rust-colour ; throat, breast, abdomen, 
sides of body, thighs and under tail-coverts buffy-white ; under wing-coverts pale 
cinnamon-buff ; under surface of flight- quills hair-brown with pale margins ; lower 
aspect of tail similar to its upper surface but rather paler. Bill reddish-brown, 
eyes brown, feet black. Total length 116 mm. ; culmen 8, wing 51, tail 56, tarsus 
23. Figured. Collected in the Everard Ranges, Central Australia, on the 9th 
of August, 1914. 
Adult male. Head, mantle and upper back, upper tail-coverts, and breast dark turquoise- 
blue ; ear-coverts paler and inclining to silvery-blue ; chin, throat, and fore-neck 
ultramarine-blue ; lores black, as also a narrow band across the chest which runs 
up the sides of the neck and joins a broad black nuchal collar ; middle of lower 
back also black ; wings pale brown with a few blue feathers appearing among the 
coverts ; some of the outer quills with pale edges to the outer webs ; tail-feathers 
dark bluish-green with white tips and obsolete wavy cross-bars ; abdomen and 
under tail-coverts whitish with blue feathers appearing on the former ; under 
wing-coverts sandy-rufous. Total length 124 mm. ; culmen 8, wing 50, tail 55, 
tarsus 22. Collected in the Musgrave Ranges, Central Australia. Type of 
M. musgravi. 
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