The phylogeny and systematics of grasswrens Amytornis species areincompletely resolved, in particular for three widely distributed members ofthe genus. In part this is a consequence of the dispersal to European and NorthAmerican collections of early specimens of now extinct populations. We describethree historical grasswren specimens from museums in Berlin and Stockholm, all ofwhich represent taxa for which phylogenetic and / or other data are incomplete. Wefurther identify other specimens that might contribute towards greater resolutionof grasswren phylogeny.