Several years have now elapsed since I published the characters of this
bird in the “Zoological Proceedings,” and a figure of the head in my
“Synopsis.” I had little or nothing to communicate respecting its
history at that time, and I regret to say that the interval has not
added to my knowledge of the subject. The specimen from which my
description and figure were originally taken was a female; and although
the male differs but little in its outward appearance, still the rather
more produced form of the bill supplies a key as to what tribe of birds
it appears to be most nearly allied, that of _Psophodes_; at the same
time it must be admitted, that the affinity is somewhat remote, and it
may be that my conclusions are not well-founded: a knowledge of its
habits will materially assist in clearing up this point.
It is an inhabitant of the low scrubby trees and _Polygonum_, bushes
which stud the hot plains of the interior of Australia, particularly
those on the borders of the Lachlan and Darling: Mr. Charles Coxen has
also killed it on the Lower Namoi, but could tell me nothing of its
habits. Whether it has any kind of loud sharp whistle analogous to that
of the Coach-whip-bird (_Psophodes crepitans_), or if it has the same
shy disposition, it would be interesting to ascertain; and to these
points, as well as to all other details connected with its history, I
would call the attention of those who may visit the interior, or may
otherwise be favourably situated for observing them. The sombre tints of
the bird are very like the colour of the earth of the plains it
inhabits; and when the nature of its food shall have been ascertained,
its wedge-shaped bill will doubtless be found admirably adapted for
procuring it.
General plumage brown, lighter beneath; chin and centre of the abdomen
greyish white; wings dark brown, edged with pale brown, the fourth and
fifth primaries conspicuously margined with white; four centre
tail-feathers dark brown, indistinctly barred with a still darker hue;
the remainder brownish black, largely tipped with white; bill blackish
brown; feet lead-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MALURUS CYANEUS: _Vieill._
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MALURUS CYANEUS, _Vieill._
Blue Wren.
_Sylvia cyanea_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 545.
_Motacilla cyanea_, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 991.
—— _superba_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 10.
_Superb Warbler_, Shaw in White’s Voy., pl. in p. 256, upp. fig.—Ib.
Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 754. pl. 58.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol.
vii. p. 117, but not the plate.
_Malurus cyaneus_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., p. 265. pl. 163.—Vig. &
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 221.—Jard. and Selb.
Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 72. fig. 3.—Gould, Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part I.
_Superb Warbler_, _Blue Wren_, etc., of the colonists.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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