72 RUDOLF SÖDERBERG, STUDIES OF THE BIRDS IN NORTH WEST AUSTRALIA. 
Moulting. — The specimen no. 5 from "/h is in typical moulting in wing, breast 
and crown of the head, the tail is worn, but not yet moulting. Of the rest there 
are, as mentioned above, only three juvenals, which change tail- and wing-feathers. 
Wearing phenomenon is seen. It is, however, mainly the feathers of the crown of 
the head that have tips and because of that are only worn at the edges as in Po- 
dargus. 
Moulting-season — undoubtedly comes in Jan. (the beginning). Two adult 
birds from July are not moulting. The specimen from !?/ (juv.) does not moult, and 
wears a typical grown-out juvenal plumage. The specimen of May (juv.) are now dropping 
tail- and wing-feathers, but the juvenal plumage is considerably advanced and there 
are pins among entirely white feathers, especially in the breast. The moulting of 
the small feathers has evidently taken place not long ago. 
The red-backed kingfisher was fairly common at the habitats named above. 
At Mowla Downs and Sunday Island, where H. sanctus was found, I did not met 
with it. 
Halcyon sanctus Vic & HORSF. 
Math. handl. n:r 391. 2 SS ad., 29 ad. Derby, Kimb. !6/10, !5/19 1910; SJ ad. Mowla Downs, ibid. 
2/12 1910; 8 SS ad. Noonceanbah, Fitzroy r. 4/12, !/12 1910, moult.; ?/1, ”/1, ?/1, 18/3 1911, moult.; 2 juv., 
ibid. 13/; 1911, moult. 
Juvenal. — A female from '”/1 in juvenal plumage. The specimen is a young 
bird that has lately left the nest. Description: Upper parts considerably darker 
than the adults, with a muddy dark-green colour. The blackish feathers of the 
forehead and the anterior part of the skull are edged with light-brown. Narrow 
sandy yellow collar below the neck, bordered above and below with a black band, 
which grows wider down the back. The belly is sandy-coloured (light), the breast 
has a broad girdle of whitish and randy-yellow feathers with blackisk brown edges, 
most at the top, forming a fixed limit to the white triangular spot on the throat. 
The wing-coverts bordered with light-brown. The point of the upper bill bent down 
like a hook (passes away in older birds). It is noteworthy, that the white spot on 
the neck is missing. This juvenal shows, particularly in the breast-ornamentation, a 
true uniformity with the juvenal of the former species. 
Variations. — The sandy-yellow colour below is stronger in some of them. 
In one specimen a weak tinge of it is spread over the throat, in others it may be traced 
on the band of the back. Nos: 4, 6 and 7 have the belly strong sandy-yellow, in 
specimen no. 3 it is white. In the blue colour of the back and the crown of the head 
another difference shows itself: the specimens from Oct. have, on the whole, a much 
more dark and more muddy green colour than the others. Even the blue colour on 
the wing is darker. If we compare it with the fully-moulted specimen in Jan., we 
shall find that this difference is due merely to bleaching phenomena. The newly- 
acquired plumage is cleaner and brighter all over. 
