138 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



and usually was first made aware of its presence by the 

 glancing of its bright colours as it darted past with a rapid, 

 arrow-like flight, and disappeared in an instant among the 

 dense foliage. Its cry, which may be represented by * whee- 

 whee-whee ' and ' w/ieet-w/ieet-w/iecf,' is usually uttered while 

 the bird is perched on a bare transverse branch or woody 

 rope-like climber, which it uses as a look-out station, and 

 whence it makes short dashes at any passing insect or small 

 lizard, generally returning to the same spot. It is a shy 

 suspicious bird, and one well calculated to try the patience of 

 the shooter, who may follow it in a small brush for an hour 

 without getting a shot, unless he has as keen an eye as the 

 native to whom I was indebted for first pointing it out to 

 me. According to the natives, who know it by the name of 

 * Quatdwui'l it lays three white eggs in a hole dug by itself 

 in one of the large ant-hills of red clay which form so 

 remarkable a feature in the neighbourhood, some of them 

 being as much as ten feet in height, with numerous buttresses 

 and pinnacles. I believe that the bird also inhabits New 

 Guinea ; for at Redscar Bay, on the south-east side of that 

 great island, in long. 146° 50' E., a head strung upon a 

 necklace was procured from the natives." 



Crown of the head, wings, and five lateral tail-feathers on 

 each side blue ; ear-coverts, back of the neck, and mantle 

 black ; in the centre of the latter a triangular mark of white ; 

 rump and two middle tail-feathers pure white ; under surface 

 cinnamon-red ; bill and feet sealing-wax red. 



Genus ALCYONE, Swainson. 



Of this genus several species are known, all of which are 

 inhabitants of the Old World, principally Oceania, and Aus- 

 tralia. These singular-footed birds very closely resemble 

 the typical Kingfishers in their habits and manners; for, like 

 them, they frequent rivers, brooks, and ponds, and plunge 



