( 255 ) 



30. Alcedo ispida salomonensis subsji. iiov. 



TLe ceutral group of tliL' Soluiuou Islauds, Gizo, Uendova, and presumably also 

 New Georgia, are inhabited by a beautiful, very blue and brightly coloured race of 

 Kingfishers, which differs from its nearest ally, Alcedo ispiih hiipidoldes, as follows : 

 The middle of the back and rump, as well as the tips to the feathers of the crown 

 and hindneck, are purplish blue, instead of light or cobalt-blue; the cheek-stripe is 

 very deep blue, not light blue ; the feathers behind the eye bluish black ; wiug- 

 coverta deep blue, with lighter, more purplish blue tips ; the patches on the sides 

 of the chest blue-black ; the bill is usually higher. Type : S ad.. No. A. 1244, 

 Rendova, H). ii. 19(J4, A. S. Meek coll. 



While the series from Rendova and Gizo is easily recognisable from the 

 characters given above, the few skins from Guadalcanar and Treasury Islands, 

 though certainly more blue and very much like the birds from Gizo and Rendova, 

 are somewhat intermediate between A. i. hispiiloidex and mlomonensin. The forms 

 A. i. hcuyalensiSjjioresiana, and Idspidoides have been discussed in former volumes 

 of the Journal. 



Mr. Meek sent the following si)ecimens : 



1 c? ad., 4 ? ad., 4 ? juv., Rendova, February l'.Jii4 (Nos. A. 1237, 1241, 1243, 

 1244, 1245, 1246, 1267, 1304, 1313). 



1 i ad., 1 ? ad., Gizo, October 19U3 (Nos. A. 6!J8, Oil',)). 



" Iris dark brown ; feet yellowish red (red, burnt red, dull smoky red in some 

 young) ; bill black in adult males, red at base in females.'' 



Judging from a male from tlie Duke of Y(jrk Island, collected by Th. 

 Kleinschmidt, the birds from there belong also to ^1. /. salomonensis, or a closely 

 allied form, but they certainly dift'er from liispidoides. 



37. Alcyone pusilla richardsi Tristr. 



Alri/iine rirhardsi Tristram, Ihix, 1882. p. i;{4 pi. 4 (Rendova). 



1 ? , Gizo, lU. xi. 1903 (No. A. t'12). 



1 (?, 2 ? ?, (Jhoiseul, December 1903, January 1U04 (Nos. A. 903, 1090, 1153). 



3 c?c?, 2 ? ?, Bougainville, March 1904 (Nos. A. 1589, 1629, 1644, 1067, 1675). 

 " Iris brown, feet smoky brown, bill black." 



Tiiis little Ak-i/oiie can only be considered as a very closely allied subspecies 

 of A. pustlla. The chief character relied upon by Tristram and Sharpe, i.e. the 

 blue pectoral band, breaks down when a series is compared. While in none 

 of our rirhfudgi it is as complete as iu Canon Tristram's figure, one female from 

 Bougainville (No. A. 1629) has this band as comj)letely absent as in typical 

 pusilla. The only character which appears to be constant is the larger size of 

 the bill. The different shades of blue noted in the original description are found 

 in both subspecies. 



38. Ceyx meeki Rothsch. 



Cei/x mceki RothsobilH, IU,II. It. O. C. \i\. p. -i:; (1001 : Isabel I). (Cf. Nuv. Zuol. 1002. p. 587. 

 pi. xi., Bg. I.) 



4 cJcJ, 2 ¥ ¥ , Choiseul, December 1903, January 1904 (Nos. A. 981, 1085, 1132, 

 1133, 1134, 1149). 



