BLUE-BREASTED WREN. 
of the bill of his bird as A of an inch. Obviously this is an error, and should 
read A. I think, therefore, these points of difference may be put aside. 
Now, on the question of colour, Gould gives the colours of the crown of the 
head and eye-spaces of his bird as glossy , violet blue and verditer blue respectively. 
In the Stirling Range bird the colours are deep violet blue with a purple tint and 
light cobalt respectively. Possibly and probably, on comparison, the shades 
of blue in each bird would prove identical, and the differences may only rest 
in the discrimination of the respective writers. Some other minor differences 
appear in the tail colours and in the purity of the white on the abdomen, but 
these may be regarded as trivial. Attention, however, must be directed to the 
fact that in each of the Stirling Range birds dingy brown feathers appear in 
the cap, and that the upper tail-coverts are of the same shade. 
Later, in the Wong an Hills, Milligan wrote : “We found pleasure in 
meeting one of Gilbert’s discoveries, Malurus pulcherrimus , at its scientific 
‘ birthplace.’ On our first day’s outing on the hills, the first two birds shot 
fell to my gun, the second of which was a handsome male bird of the Wren in 
full nuptial plumage. We found the species very numerous in the general 
tracts or rock patches in and about the hills. I had ample opportunity 
of observing them in their native haunts, and frequently brought the little 
families to my feet by imitating the calls of a young bird in distress. 
Great rivalry appears to exist between the males in their song, and on one 
occasioix I found two of them in fierce combat. It would have been possible 
to shoot at least a dozen males without trouble, but after killing the second 
male I felt that I had done enough ‘ murder ’ among these charming 
creatures. We were too late for their nests and eggs, as all their broods 
were out. I caught several young birds at different times, but after examining 
them returned them to their parents’ care. I have now found and have 
recorded this species at two different places in Western Australia — the first 
at the Stirling Ranges in the south, the second at the Wongan Hills. These I 
take to be the most southern and northern limits respectively of the species, but 
I shall be surprised, indeed, if the species is not afterwards found at elevated 
rocky places between the above limits. They undoubtedly are not only lovers 
of stony and rocky places, but also of mountainous ones.” It is peculiar that 
he makes no comparison whatever this time. 
Some years later Whitlock went to the Stirling Ranges and recorded : 
“ Regarding the Blue-breasted Wren ( Malurus pulcherrimus) one wants a 
calm, sunny day to find it, for it is by no means vociferous, and I regard it 
as one of the most secretive of the whole family. The favourite haunt 
appeared to be some low rounded hill littered with ironstone, and clothed 
with a not too dense and rather low, growth of marlock or mallee, and other 
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