442 APFE.N'DIX. 



half a mile from Kamerunga, and not far from the Barron River. This lagoon was surrounded 

 by low bushes and thick scrub down to the water's edge. These birds were very shy and 

 dillicult to approach." 



Dr. \V. Macgillivray, of Broken Mill, has forwarded the following notes, received from Mr. 

 W. McLennan, relative to finding the nests and eggs of this species at Cape York, Northern 

 (Queensland .- — "On the 17th February, 191 1, in a big swamp behind Charo mangro\ es, I flushed 

 a Little Kingfisher ( Alcyone pitiilla) from its nest in a mass of earth adhering to the roots of a 

 fallen Tea-tree in the middle of the swamp. The nest contained five eggs slightly incubated. 

 The tunnel was six inches long and a little over one inch in diameter, the chamber circular 

 about four and a half inches in diameter. I waited till the bird returned and shot it. On the 

 30th February, 191 1, from Somerset I went to the mangroves of Mud Bay, and had a search 

 through them ; a couple oi Alcyone pnsiUa were in the mangroves along the creek ; close to the 

 edge of the swamp I Hushed one of these birds from its nest in an old white luangrove stump; 

 it contained five fresh eggs. The nest was a hole drilled in rotten mould, the tunnel six inches 

 long and one and a quarter inches in diameter ; the egg chamber five inches across by four inches 

 in depth. The bird returned whilst I was taking the egs^s, and sat a few feet away. The 

 nesting place was live feet from the ground." 



The eggs are five in number for a sitting, almost globular in form, the shell being close- 

 grained, highly lustrous and pearly-white. They measure as follows : — Length (A) o-6-j y. o'6 

 inches; (B) o-66 x o'6 inches; (C) o'68 x o-c^H inches; (D) o-68 x 0-59 inches; (E) o-66 x 

 0'57 inches. 



Immature birds may be distinguished by the dusky hue of the mantle, back and wings, the 

 upper wing-coverts and tips of the feathers of the back being tipped with dull ultramarine, rump 

 and upper tail-coverts bright ultramarine, tail-feathers dusky tipped with dull blue ; forehead, 

 crown of the head and nape black, the tips of the feathers indistinctly margined with greenish- 

 blue; sides of nape and the hind-neck ultramarine, loral spot and a tuft of plumes on the side of 

 the neck white washed with orange ; ear-coverts black ; lower side of neck and upper breast 

 dusky, the former slightly tinged with green, the latter distinctly washed with greenish-blue, the 

 feathers on the centre of the breast having a narrow dusky edge around the tip. Wing 2 inches. 



Porphyrocephalus spurius. 



KED-rAPPKD PAKBAKEKT. 



Psittacus sjturius, Kuhl., Consp. P.sitt, p. .52 (1820). 



rialycercus pileatiis, Gould, Vnh. Austr., fol. Vol. V., pi. 'M (1S4S). 



I'lirpiireiccphalus pUeatiis, Gould, Haiidbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II., p. CO (1865). 



Por/iln/roci'jihaliis sjiurius, Salvad., Cat. lids. Brit. Mils., Vol. XX., p. 556 (I89I) ; Sharpe, IlaiiiM. 

 Bds., Vol. II., p. 38 (1900). 



Adult male. — (jeneral colour ahove greeii ; rump niul upper /ail-cover/n yreeitish-i/elluir, the 

 lonyesl of the Ifiller <jreen ; tipper ivinij-coverts ami aecouilaries like the back, the eniler series of the 

 tipper tuitig-cocerts deep biue ; priiiiari/-cove.rts awl primaries Jeep blue on their outer tvebs, blackish 

 oil the ititier tvebs, some of (he outer irebs of the outer greater tvitig-coverts and otit.er secondaries blue 

 tte.rl the shaft ; central pair of tail feathers green, passing into deep blue on. l/ie apical half of their 

 otiter tvebs atid blackish at their tips : the remainiler greenish-blue at (he base, pale blue on their 

 apical portion atid crossed in the middle tvith a black batid, the second, third and fourth pairs tipped 



