BLACK-BACKED WREN. 
specimens of both sexes. It may not be out of place to state here that my 
father left home in 1865 on an expedition to the North and North-west of 
Adelaide in pursuit of the science of Ornithology. He took with him a dray 
drawn by two horses, and one man. On the dray, besides provisions and 
outfit, he placed a light flat-bottomed boat which was intended to be used 
on swamps, lakes, rivers, or arms of the sea which might be met with on the 
way. The route lay along St. Vincent’s Gulf, passing its head; this exploring 
ornithologist pushing on over a rough and scrubby country, working amongst 
the birds on his way, till he reached a spot on Spencer’s Gulf some distance 
beyond the indent on the coast which is now known as Port Germein. /The 
undaunted explorer then determined to explore the western side of the Gulf, 
a hazardous task in view of the crossing the head of gulf, a distance of between 
twenty-five and thirty miles, in a frail flat-bottomed boat. He well understood 
that the Flinders Range on the one side, and the hills on the other, form with 
the ever narrowing gulf a natural funnel, up which the winds from the ocean 
are forced with great velocity. The journey up to this was considerably 
over 300 miles, for it must be understood that the country at that time was in 
its virgin state, and a way had to be forced through the dense scrub and over 
rocky ranges. Pigging up a sail and taking advantage of a favourable wind, 
this pioneer left his manservant in charge of the horses and cart, and set out 
in his little craft alone. All went well on the trip over and many birds were 
collected, amongst them this new Malurus , and I have heard my father say 
in later years that he procured the birds (some eight to ten skins comprising 
both sexes) by placing his hat upon the ground, and when the wrens approached 
the strange object to investigate, he secured them. On his way over the gulf 
head again a sudden squall capsized the little boat, and guns, sextant and speci- 
mens — all were lost save a small box containing a few bird skins which he grasped 
and held ; he clung to the upturned boat and drifted till within two miles of 
the shore, when he left the boat, but still sticking to the box he swam ashore, 
as he was a very powerful swimmer. In the box were two males of the new 
Malurus, which were sent to Gould and described with the name of M. callainus. 
It is, from this account, certain that the birds were obtained on the western 
shore of the Gulf and not at Port Germein, as has been suggested. 
“ The first of these birds met with by my wife and myself on this trip 
was after passing through 4 Lincoln Gap ’ ; we had camped over night, and in 
the early morning I went out with the gun, and when passing over a flat- 
covered-in large salt bush around which were some fine bushes of scrubby mulga ; 
and from out of these bushes darted a small party of wrens, seemingly some 
females or out-of-plumage males. They were into the giant salt bush and 
gone in an instant, and although we could hear their faint little notes of 
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