^U- 



oog Campbell, Annotations. [ist April 



(Masters) is indicated as synonymous with C. mentalis (Salvadori). 

 At the time I wrote " Nests and Eggs " Mr. Masters' original 

 description was not accessible to me, therefore I accepted the 

 official "catalogue'" as being correct, with the qualification — 

 " If C. mentalis be really an Australian species, it is somewhat 

 strange it has not been recorded for North Queensland, as it is 

 found on the opposite coast of New Guinea" (" Nests and Eggs," 

 p. 306). 



C. mentalis is a small Butcher-Bird (about 10 inches total 

 length), and is black and white, similar to C. argentens of North- 

 West Australia, but having a black back instead of silvery-grey, 

 whereas C spaldinqi is larger (14 inches), and black, resembling 

 C. quoyi (Lesson). While regretting I inadvertently overlooked 

 Mr. Masters' new sub-species, I apparently strayed in very good 

 company, for Dr. E. Hartert (whose critical work on Australian 

 birds is much appreciated by students here) also missed the same 

 reference, or else he would probably not have created his sub- 

 species C. qiwyi tiinneyi * from the type locality of C. spaldingi, 

 the birds being apparently alike. 



Strange Halcyon. — Another of Mr. Harry Barnard's inter- 

 esting discoveries in the rich region of Cape York has been an 

 apparently new Kingfisher, which nearest resembles Halcyon 

 macleayi, but is different owing to its darker-coloured head and 

 the absence of the conspicuous white bars on the wings. 



On 6/11/10 Mr. Barnard observed a pair breeding, and secured 

 the male bird, which may be described as follows : — 



Ear-coverts black ; head and nape bluish-black, or black with 

 a wash of Prussian blue ; wings brownish-black ; primaries edged 

 with brilliant ultramarine blue, secondaries and coverts washed 

 with the same colour ; upper back and tail coverts also brilliant 

 ultramarine blue ; mantle and lower back (rump) a beautiful 

 shade of verditer-blue or metallic coerulean blue, the ultra- 

 marine of the upper back blending with the verditer-blue of the 

 mantle ; spot before the eye, broad collar (hind-neck), and all 

 under surface white, except lower flanks, which are slightly 

 tinged with buff ; tail brownish-black, upper surface washed with 

 Prussian blue. 



Iris dark brown ; bill black, except base of lower mandible, 

 which is white ; tarsus brown (Barnard). 



Length, 7^ ; wing, 3f ; tail, 2h ; culmen, if ; tarsus, ^ inches. 



Habitat. — Lockerbie, Cape York. 



At present the type is sohtary, but should more examples prove 

 the foregoing description to be constant, no doubt ornithologists 

 will readily agree that the bird be named the Barnard Kingfisher 

 {Halcyon barnardi), after its discoverer, Mr. H. G. Barnard — 

 one of the Barnards of " Coomooboolaroo " fame. 



Mr. H. L. White describes the eggs in the following article. 



* "Nov. Zool.," vol. xii., p. 228(1905). 



