Genus— NESOMALURUS. 
Nesomalurus Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., 
Vol. II., pts. 2/3, p. 59, October 23rd, 1913. 
Type (by original designation) ... ... M alums edouardi Campbell. 
The characters cited at the proposition of this new genus by me read : 
“ Differs from Hallornis Mathews in its longer bill and stronger feet, from 
Ryania Mathews in its stouter bill and longer tail, and from M alums Vieillot 
and Leggeornis Mathews in lacking erectile ear-coverts ; the fourth primary 
of the wing is longest.” The recognition of this genus depends upon the value 
of structural characters as opposed to colour values. From the point of view 
of colour, it is the island representative of Hallornis leuconotus, and agrees as 
most isolated island forms do in showing modification with regard to flight ; 
thus, the wings decrease in power, while the legs increase and generally 
simultaneously the bill becomes more powerful, more adapted to picking up 
ground-living insects, etc. I wrote : “ The subject of the Dark Blue Wrens 
is more complex than at first appears. While it may be quite true that the 
Dirk Hartog and Barrow Island Wrens are simply melanistic products of 
Hallornis, we cannot jump to this conclusion without considering the New 
Guinea so-called Malurus and Todopsis. The latter genus was proposed for 
large birds of Malurus ( cyaneus ) coloration, and has since been regularly 
recognised even by genus lumpers. Under Malurus has been classed a New 
Guinea species of similar coloration to the Dirk Hartog species, but com- 
parison shows it to have had an entirely different origin to that suggested 
for the latter. The New Guinea species Malurus alboscapulatus Meyer has 
a much longer, broader bill, recalling the formation of the bill of the New 
Guinea Todopsis, and quite different from the Dirk Hartog Island birds’ bill, 
it also has a different wing formula and a noticeably short, square tail. It 
is obviously not a Malurus, even in a broad sense,” and I generic ally named it 
Devisornis, adding : “ WTiether it should be associated with Todopsis or not 
may be debated, but the close relationship of Todopsis to Malurus seems 
indubitable from colour values alone. In recent classifications they have been 
very widely divorced, but I think this is quite unnatural. If it be proven that 
they have no close alliance, then we cannot hypothesize upon the new alliance 
of the Dirk Hartog form and the mainland Hallornis, but must await 
anatomical investigation.” 
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