554 NESTS AXD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



442. — Daceu) leacuu, Vigors and Horsfield. — (61) 



LEACH KINGFISHER. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii., pi. 19. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xvii., p. 206. 



Previous Descriptions of £^^i.— Ramsaj- : Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S. 

 Wales, vol. vii., p. 45 (1882) ; Campbell : Southern Science 

 Record (1883) ; North : .•\ustn. .\Ius. Cat., pi. 6, fig. 2 (1889). 



Geuyraphical Distrihulion. — Northuni Territory and Queensland. 



Nest. — A hole in a treCj or a tunnel drilled into a nest of ants or 

 tormites, upon the side of a tree. 



Egg-i. — Clutch, three usually ; round in shape, sliarply contracted 

 at one end ; texture of shell fine ; surface glossy ; colour, pure white. 

 Dimensions in inches of odd examples: (1) l'9x 1'45 (2) 1-73 x 1-49; 

 of a proper clutdi, (1) l-88x 1-5, (2) 1-83 x 1-52, (3) 1-79 x 1-49. 



Ohservatiiins. — Although the Laughing Jackass was the first dis- 

 covered bird of its remarkable genus, and was scientifically called 

 Diirehi (jjgd^. the Le;icii Kingfisher, in Queensland, it is actually larger 

 in all respects, and, being a tropical fomi, is more highly coloured. Tlie 

 beautiful bluish markings on the wings and upon the back are more 

 pronounced, and are seen to advantage when the bird is flying from 

 tree to tree. While in the male the tail is deep blue, baiTcd and tipped 

 with white, in the female it is brown, conspicuously barred with dark 

 blue. 



With regard to the nidifica.tion of tliis fine bird the observations 

 already recorded for the Great Brown Kingfisher are applicable, 

 so similar ai-e the habits of the two .species. The breeding montlis are 

 also the siime. However, tlie comical sounding voices are not. Tlie 

 Great Brown has earned for itsself the name of " Laughing " Jackass ; 

 but when the Leach bird " laughs " it produces a barking or yelping 

 noise which is exceedingly striking when a person hears it for the first 

 time. 



The following interesting fact in the natural economy of Leacli 

 Kingfisher indicates a connecting link between the Dacihi anil the true 

 Kingfi.slier. Tlie " Bush Naturalist,'' writing in the " Queenslander," 

 7tli December, 1878, rem. irks : "I was camped 011 the hanks of tlie 

 crystal-clc.ar wal<?rs of tiie Gregory River, wlnii all at once one of these 

 birds (Leach Kingfisher) plunged iiilo a dii-p ])iiol from a branch some 

 thirty feet in height ; it went completely under and reappeared with 

 a small fisli in its beak." 



