154 
Stray Feathers 
["The Emu 
L 1st Oct. 
of five grey birds are together, bathing under the spray from the 
sprinkler at 7 a.m., which is a daily performance with them when 
the sprinkler starts to spray. From close observation I have 
found that when the male bird moults the blue feathers are 
thrown off. I have actually seen one ragged blue feather thrown 
off when he shook himself during his morning bath, and have 
found numerous blue feathers in the garden. I have also come 
to the conclusion that when the male bird takes on his new coat 
of blue it is a colour-change of the feathers, none of which is 
cast off. Though this species more than probable the same pair 
of birds, have reared 17 young birds during my residence here 
(one brood a year only), and have kept their yearly brood with 
them till about the middle of April, I have found that only the 
one pair breed in my garden, which measures 110 feet by 220 
feet, though there is plently of cover for nesting. Another pair 
of birds nest in my neighbour's garden; but, though often seen 
on our adjoining fence, they seldom encroach on “my Blue 
Wrens' patch," I have on occasions noticed a battle royal, more 
or less friendly, when the intruding pair has hurriedly departed 
over the fence with our male bird giving his triumphant warble 
from the top of the fence before returning to his home. — J. N. 
McGilp, King’s Park, Adelaide. 
* * * 
Gould’s Description of the Brown Warbler. — Copied from E. 
Ashby's note-book. Description of Gary go tic fuse a, Gould's 
Hand-Book, Sp. 156 , page 268 ; amended E. Ashby, R.A.O.U. 
Congress, Adelaide, 1922 . The word “white" should be 
amended to “brown." Description: “Two centre tail feathers 
brown, the remainder white (substitute brown) at the base, suc¬ 
ceeded by a broad band of deep blackish brown, round which 
is a broad stripe of white, which entirely crosses the outer 
feathers, but only the inner webs of the remainder, the tips pale 
brown." (I 11 some specimens the outer feather is white right 
across, in others barely so.) 
I have this moment got down my specimens of G. fusca, and 
find that, with the substitution of “brown" for “white" where 
indicated above, the description is absolutely accurate for my 
specimens. On the other hand, the description as it stands is 
not accurate for the Western Australian bird that we have known 
as culicivora , and rightly so, I believe, for in that bird the white 
is carried across the outer web in more than the pair of outer 
feathers. I think that if you refer to Gould's plate you will find 
that fusca is applied to the bird with a brown base to the tail 
feathers, and culicivora to the bird with the white base to the tail 
feathers; if so, the plate is quite correct. To make Gould's 
description accurate, the word brozvn needs substituting for white 
in the one place. In no other way can Gould's work be made 
accurate whichever way you take it. — E. Asttby, C.F.A.O.U., 
“Wittunga," Blackwood, South Australia. 
