BLACK-BACKED WEEK. 
I would have unhesitatingly accepted the dicta of White and Ashby that 
these are identical, save that in some cases a series of Mallee birds have 
absolutely shown differences between the South Australian and Victorian 
Mallee specimens. 
Again doubtful appears 
Mdlurus melanotus germaini Mathews. 
Eastern shores of Spencer’s Gulf. 
This has been accepted under the name M. whitei, which is a synonym of 
callainus, but is now doubted by White and Ashby. 
Malurus melanotus callainus Gould. 
Western shore of Spencer’s Gulf to western 
border of South Australia. 
Malurus melanotus musgravei subsp. n. (Described.) 
Musgrave and Everard Ranges. 
Both Captain S. A. White and Ashby agree that this bird is “ more purple 
on the throat and a deeper blue on the abdomen than M. callainus .” 
Ramsay described the eggs of M. melanotus and M. callainus, but gave 
no locality for either and wrote of the latter : “ This wren, one of the latest 
species described by Mr. Gould, is far from rare in the interior; my brother, 
Mr* James Ramsay, having no difficulty in obtaining as many specimens as 
I required during one season, both of its nests and eggs, with the birds shot 
therefrom.” 
This provides one of the problems that cannot be settled here. What 
was Ramsay’s “ interior ” ? The interior of New South Wales is suggested, 
whence I have no specimens, but J ackson has recorded melanotus from northern 
interior New South Wales, near the Queensland border. Then North, when 
he received birds from Central Australia, and apparently with Ramsay’s 
callainus under view, named the Centralian birds melanotus , which Captain 
S. A. White states they are not. ' 
Some years ago Mr. J. W. Mellor wrote me : “ We had all three species 
while in Sydney (at the Museum), side by side, and they stand thus — 
M. melanotus Dark blue on mantle. 
M. whitei Lighter blue on mantle {—germaini). 
M. callainus Lightest blue on mantle. 
Then M. melanotus is lighter than whitei on the under-surface blue.” 
This may help to elucidate matters. 
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