﻿22 
  COLLECTIONS 
  l^'ROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  This 
  interesting 
  specimen 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  determine, 
  being 
  in 
  size 
  

   like 
  D. 
  cervinus 
  and 
  in 
  colour 
  like 
  D. 
  leacliii. 
  As 
  I 
  endeavour 
  

   to 
  show 
  below, 
  these 
  species, 
  however, 
  run 
  into 
  each 
  other 
  so 
  

   much 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  define 
  the 
  exact 
  characters 
  of 
  

   each. 
  

  

  Since 
  I 
  wrote 
  my 
  ' 
  Monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Kingfishers,' 
  our 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  the 
  great 
  Laughing 
  Jackasses 
  of 
  Australia 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  much 
  

   increased. 
  The 
  range 
  of 
  true 
  Daceh 
  has 
  been 
  extended 
  to 
  South- 
  

   eastern 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  where 
  Dacelo 
  intermedins 
  of 
  Salvadori 
  replaces 
  

   D. 
  cervinus 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  continent; 
  but 
  otherwise 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  species 
  in 
  Australia 
  has 
  remained 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  com- 
  

   pletion 
  of 
  that 
  work. 
  

  

  A 
  comparison, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  Laughing 
  King- 
  

   fishers 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  raises 
  great 
  doubts 
  in 
  my 
  mind 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  admitted 
  by 
  me 
  up 
  to 
  1871 
  ; 
  

   and 
  I 
  therefore 
  add 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  now 
  before 
  me. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  difference 
  between 
  D. 
  cervinus 
  and 
  D. 
  leacliii 
  is 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  consist 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  size, 
  the 
  buif-coloured 
  breast, 
  and 
  the 
  blue 
  

   outer 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  external 
  tail-feather 
  of 
  the 
  former. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  

   now 
  that 
  this 
  last 
  is 
  a 
  character 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  young 
  males 
  commence 
  with 
  a 
  rufous 
  tail 
  like 
  the 
  old 
  females, 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  gain 
  their 
  blue 
  tails 
  by 
  the 
  gradual 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  

   blue 
  cross 
  bands, 
  which 
  unite 
  by 
  degrees 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  tail 
  becomes 
  

   uniform 
  blue. 
  Thus 
  there 
  arrives 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   tail 
  when 
  the 
  outer 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  tail-feather 
  has 
  not 
  cjuite 
  lost 
  its 
  

   bars 
  before 
  becoming 
  uniform, 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  barring 
  of 
  the 
  tail, 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  specific 
  difference 
  between 
  D. 
  cervinus 
  and 
  D. 
  leachii, 
  

   is 
  of 
  very 
  little 
  importance. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  other 
  characters, 
  we 
  

   shall 
  see 
  what 
  they 
  are 
  worth 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  trace 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  I 
  add 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  D. 
  cervinus 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  NestUnri. 
  General 
  colour 
  above 
  dark 
  brown, 
  with 
  scarcely 
  per- 
  

   ceptible 
  lighter 
  brown 
  edges 
  to 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  mantle 
  and 
  

   scapulars 
  ; 
  least 
  wing-coverts 
  brown 
  like 
  the 
  back 
  ; 
  median 
  and 
  

   greater 
  series 
  brown, 
  tipped 
  with 
  pale 
  verditer-blue 
  or 
  light 
  greenish 
  

   cobalt 
  ; 
  bastard-wing 
  brown, 
  washed 
  with 
  blue 
  ; 
  primary-coverts 
  

   blackish, 
  externally 
  greenish 
  blue 
  ; 
  quills 
  blackisb, 
  externally 
  deep 
  

   blue, 
  greener 
  on 
  the 
  primaries, 
  which 
  are 
  white 
  near 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  

   both 
  webs 
  ; 
  the 
  secondaries 
  edged 
  with 
  white 
  at 
  the 
  tips, 
  the 
  inner 
  

   ones 
  brown 
  like 
  the 
  back 
  ; 
  lower 
  back 
  and 
  rump 
  pale 
  silvery 
  cobalt 
  ; 
  

   upper 
  tail-coverts 
  bright 
  rufous, 
  barred 
  with 
  black 
  ; 
  tail-feathers 
  

   bright 
  rufous, 
  paler 
  at 
  the 
  ends, 
  barred 
  with 
  dark 
  blue, 
  these 
  

   blue 
  bands 
  margined 
  above 
  and 
  below 
  with 
  black, 
  the 
  bands 
  

   broader 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  narrower 
  towards 
  the 
  ends 
  ; 
  the 
  blue 
  

   bands 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  feathers 
  already 
  coalescing 
  into 
  one 
  

   uniform 
  blue 
  base 
  ; 
  head 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  dark 
  brown, 
  the 
  feathers 
  

   broadly 
  centred 
  with 
  blackish, 
  the 
  edges 
  somewhat 
  mottled 
  with 
  

   reddish-brown 
  markings 
  ; 
  the 
  nape 
  lighter, 
  the 
  crest- 
  feathers 
  being 
  

   whiter, 
  with 
  narrow 
  dark-brown 
  centres 
  ; 
  hind 
  neck 
  clear 
  fulvous, 
  

   with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinct 
  zigzag 
  cross 
  lines 
  of 
  brown 
  ; 
  lores 
  tawny 
  

   buff, 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  feathers 
  below 
  the 
  eye, 
  the 
  latter 
  with 
  blackish 
  

  

  