MOBGAN — Diccpum hirimdinaaewu and the Loranthus seed. 21 



This immature specimen shows the same distinctive colour- 

 ation as is present in the adult form except that it is speckled 

 with pale rufous spots in the manner that is common to inima 

 ture forms of other species belonging to the genus Halcyon. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Head, primaries and tail as in Halcyon macleayii (J. and S.) 

 Greater, median and lesser wing coverts and mantle, brilliant 

 azure to shot blue. Upper and lower back brilliant shot blue. 

 Rump and uppertail coverts are an intense brilliant blue. 

 Some of the deeper shades of blue in the wing coverts of Pitta 

 iris gld most nearly approach this shade of blue of any bird I 

 am familiar with. Total length, 7.8 inches; culmen, 1.6 inches; 

 tarsus, .5 inch; wing, 3.6 inches; bill, more slender than in H. 

 macleayii; feet black. 



Remarks. — This subspecies is easily distinguished from its 

 congener H. macleayii by its much more intense and brilliant 

 blae colouration, the green shades of the latter are entirely 

 absent and the white collar of the hind-neck is more marked in, 

 the species under review. The specimen being a formalined 

 one is unsexed though no doubt it is a male. 



Further investigation may show this bird to be identical 

 with Halcyon macleayii distinguendus" — Matthews. 



Novitates Zoologicae, Vol. 18, p. 288, 1911 eds. 



A Note on Dicaeum hirundinaceum and the 

 Loranthus seed. 



By A. M. Morgan. 



I have on two occasions witnessed a Dicaeum deposit the 

 seed of the Loranthus. The first occasion was near Black Hill 

 in October, 1900. I was watching a male Dicaeum when I sud 

 derily noticed that something was adhering to the feathers of 

 the vent. The bird flew to a neighbouring branch (which hap 

 pened to be that of a mistletoe) applied the object to it, and 

 then fluttering away left it adherent to the branch. I examined 

 the object and found it to be a Loranthus seed with its sticky 

 covering undigested. The second occasion was at Blackwood 

 on October 7, 1908. I was watching a female Dicaeum building 

 a nest in a wattle tree, the male took no part in the nest build 



