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14 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. I 



basalts in its darker upper-coloration and larger size, 

 I propose the name : 



Chrysococcyx basalis mellori, subsp. n., 



type no. 9683, Eyre's Peninsula, South Australia. 



For the West Australian form, which can be separated 

 from C. b. mellori by its smaller size and duller upper- 

 coloration, and from C. b. basalis by being larger and 

 darker, intermediate between the latter and C. b. 

 mellori, I introduce the name : 



Chrysococcyx basalis wyndhami, subsp. n., 



type no. 8662, Point Torment, North-west Australia. 



The wing measurements of these three sub-species 

 are : C. b. basalis 90 ; C. b. mellori 107 ; C. b. wyndhami, 

 101 mm. 



My series leads me to suggest that these birds only 

 make internal migrations. A bird killed on November 

 4th at Parry's Creek is washed out, faded and sandy, 

 looking exactly as if it had been living in a desert. On 

 the head a few bronze feathers are showing, one or two 

 on the wings and two new bronze tail-feathers are half- 

 grown. A bird killed a week later has its plumage 

 fully new bronze-coloured, exactly the same colour as 

 in the new feathers in the former bird. Upon exami- 

 nation I found that birds killed in May in the same 

 district were all in worn plumage, but not to the same 

 state as the first-mentioned bird. I can consequently 

 only conclude that these birds go inland from May to 

 November, and that they moult into their spring plumage 

 generally before returning to the coast. 



North states that this species " is a permanent resident 

 throughout the year in the neighbourhood of Sydney." 

 It will be thus noted that this bird has probably different 

 habits, as to migration, in different parts of Australia, 

 and consequently there is a wide field for research in 

 this respect. 



Two points with regard to the nomenclature of this 

 species require remark. 



