A Campbell, Some Additions to H. L. White Collection, [jsf'juiy 



case, exactly corresponds with one (of a pair) collected at Kow 

 Plains, Victoria. Mathews refers to the western bird as short- 

 ridgei. 



. Referring to the migration of Merops from New Guinea, Mr. 

 H. G. Barnard has kindly furnished me with some of his field 

 observations. The continuous line of migration noticed from 

 Cape York to near Port Darwin — a distance of about 800 miles 

 — is a most important record. The following are Mr. Barnard's 

 remarks : — 



" During a collecting trip to the east coast of New Guinea iu 

 the years 1894-5 I observed Merops ornatus on Kiriwina Island, 

 one of the Trobriand Group. During the winter of '95 they were 

 then in moulting plumage ; as the spring came on they disappeared, 

 and were not seen again. 



" In September, '96, while on my way to Port Darwin, I 

 observed these birds, when nearing Cape York, coming from the 

 direction of New Guinea ; they were passing in flocks of from four 

 or five up to fifty or more, many of the flocks close together. In 

 other instances they were far apart. Some were skimming the 

 water, others hundreds of feet in the air. This continued all the 

 way to Thursday Island. During my stay of two days at this 

 place the flight still continued, many birds resting on the trees 

 on the island. The same, thing was noticed nearly the whole 

 way to Port Darwin, but in much fewer numbers. I spent several 

 weeks at the latter place before returning to Cape York. On the 

 return journey no Bee-eaters were observed passing overhead, 

 but were seen on the mainland at the Cape on my arrival in 

 October. The following March I observed them leaving for the 

 direction of New Guinea : this flight continued for some time. 

 Again, in 1910, while on a trip to Cape York for Mr. II. L. White, 

 I observed the same occurrence in September. During the 

 winter of 1913, while on the Macarthur River, Northern Territory, 

 Bee-eaters began to arrive in August, but were not then in full 

 breeding plumage. By September they had assumed full plumage 

 and started breeding. 



" On the Dawson River, Central Queensland, birds arrive during 

 August and September, but not in full plumage. This they 

 assume shortly afterwards, when they commence their burrows. 

 After burrow-drilling it is a hard matter to obtain perfect speci- 

 mens, as the birds break the ends off their beaks in the hard 

 ground ; the long central tail-feathers are also fractured. The 

 birds leave again for the north from February to April, though, 

 owing to very mild winters, I have known instances of a few 

 Bee-eaters remaining till the spring." 



Melithreptus laetior. Golden-backed Honey-eater. 



Northern Territory (Borroloola and Brunette Downs) specimens 

 are similar to typical M. Icetior, and cannot be separated from 

 Coongan specimens. It would appear as if Mathews's M. coongani 

 becomes a synonym. 



