88 RECOKDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



former indistinctly barred with silvery -blue, the latter with white ; 

 tail white, the two centre feathers freckled with dull rufous on 

 their basal portion and irregularly barred with the same colour 

 except at the tips ; remainder of the tail-feathers barred alter- 

 nately with rufous and brown cross-bars for three-fourths of 

 their length, the bars decreasing in extent towards the outermost 

 feathers where the rufous bars are entirely lost and the brown bars 

 become narrow zigzag lines except at the base ; primaries pale 

 brown, white at the base ; secondaries pale brown, broadly edged 

 with white on their inner webs ; bastard wing, primary and greater 

 wing-coverts brown, the innermost series of the latter white ; 

 median wing-coverts pale brown, the outermost series largely 

 tipped with white and the innermost series with silvery-white ; 

 lesser wing-coverts pale brown with whitish tips ; axillaries and 

 under primary-coverts white, barred with dusky-brown; remainder 

 of the under wing-coverts white, narrowly and indistinctly barred 

 with dusky-brown. Upper mandible brown, the lower fleshy- 

 white ; iris rich reddish-brown ; legs and feet pale yellowish- 

 brown. Total length, 17 3 in. ; wing, 9 in. ; tail, 7 in. ; culmen, 

 2-45 in. ; tarsus, 105 inch. Sex ? ad., Reg. No. 0-8269. 



Of the albino specimens of D. gigas in the Museum, the finest 

 example was sent by an unknown donor from Berrima in 1892. 

 This bird has the whole of the plumage snow-white, with the 

 exception of one or two of the inner and concealed plumes of the 

 ear-coverts which are dark brown ; bill dull yellowish-white, with 

 a few short patchy streaks of blackish-brown ; legs and feet 

 yellow. In another albino specimen obtained at Bowral, and 

 presented to the Trustees by the Hon. W. A. Long in 1890, the 

 only trace of its normal plumage is likewise in the concealed 

 plumes of the ear-coverts, and in a few brown feathers among 

 the lesser wing-coverts. 



The tendency to partial or total albinism apparently exists 

 more in this species than in any other Australian bird, judging 

 by the number of examples represented in the Collection. 



In answer to an inquiry of the Curator's asking for further 

 information regarding this specimen, Mr. Parks writes as follows : 

 " The semi-albino Great Kingfisher I sent you was accidentally 

 poisoned by eating mice that had been destroyed by strychnine, 

 and was found by one of my men. I had been preserving this 

 bird for some years, which used to feed at the door and nest in 

 a tree close to the house, and was very sorry when the poor fellow 

 died ; at the same time I was glad that it was found before it 

 was too far decayed to preserve as a rara avis." 



