158 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on a 



River, South-west Australia. It is undoubtedly an example 

 of H. sanctus in worn plumage, which accounts for the 

 differences in colour mentioned in the description. Mr. 

 Campbell writes : — " Should the examination of a series 

 of specimens from Western Australia prove the bird to be a 

 new or western variety, I venture to suggest for it the 

 name of H. westralasiarms." This method of giving new 

 names on the chance of their proving valid seems to me to be 

 founded on an entirely wrong principle ; it would surely have 

 been better to wait till a series from Western Australia 

 could be examined, when Mr. Campbell would have seen 

 that his supposed new species was merely a well-known 

 state of plumage of H. sanctus, which occurs equally among 

 a series from Eastern Australia. 



[The Sacred Kingfisher is plentiful in the south-west, 

 but does not extend far inland ; it is said to occur as far 

 north as Houtman's Abrolhos where it appears to be a 

 straggler. — G. C. S.~\ 



Halcyon pyrrhopygius Gould. 



Halcyon pyrrhopygius Math. p. 54. 



a. o . Southern Cross, Dec. 



b-h. <$ ? . Laverton, 13th-22nd Oct. 



i. £ . Kurrawang, 20th Sept. 



k. ? . Carnarvon, 25th Aug. 



Iris dark brown ; bill dusky black, base of the lower 

 mandible of a flesh-colour ; legs pale olive-brown. 



Total length, measured in the flesh, 875-9 5 inches. 



[The Red-backed Kingfisher was plentiful in the central 

 and western divisions, where it replaces H. sanctus. It was 

 particularly numerous round Laverton, and while preferring 

 the well-watered districts, was not confined to them. — 

 G. C. £.] 



Dacelo cervina Gould. 

 Dacelo cervina Math. p. 54. 



a-h. S ? • Clifton Downs, 20th Sept.-lOth Oct. 

 Iris white ; bill light brown above, of a dusky flesh colour 

 below; legs dusky buff tinged above with olivaceous. 



