THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
‘August, CardweU. Common in little creeks running into Gowrie Creek, in 
Gowrie Gorge in ISTovember. These birds appear to leave the coast for the 
creeks in the hiUs in the breeding-time, or about November. In a creek in 
the mountains I saw four together sitting on logs in the water, and near the 
beach in the summer — not one to be seen in their usual winter haunts, little 
mangrove creeks and swamps.” 
In the next volume appeared a note, p. 126: “Dr. Wm. M‘Gillivray, 
Broken Hill, sends the following field notes received from his collector (Mr. 
J. M‘Lennan) at Cape York: ‘17/2/11. Went out to big swamp behind 
Charo mangroves. Flushed a Little Kingfisher {Alcyone pusilla) from its 
nest in a mass of earth adhering to the roots of a fallen tea-tree in the middle 
of the swamp. The nest contained five eggs, slightly incubated. Tunnel six 
inches long and a little over an inch in diameter. Egg-chamber circular, 
about 4| inches in diameter. . . .’ 30/2/11. Went down to mangroves. 
Mud Bay, near Somerset. Saw a couple of Alcyone pusilla in mangroves 
along the creek. Walking through the mangroves, close to the edge of the 
swamp, I flushed one of these birds from its nest in an old white mangrove 
stump; it contained five fresh eggs. Nest, a hole drilled in rotten mould; 
tunnel 6 inches long, IJ inches in diameter. Egg-chamber 5 inches across, 
4 inches deep. The bird returned whilst I was taking the eggs, and sat a few 
feet away. The nest was 5 feet from the ground.” 
In Volume XIII. (p. 159) Macgillivray added : “ This little bird is found 
in the mangrove swamps along the coast, frequenting the creeks that run 
through them ; and as these swamps are also the haunt of the crocodile 
(0. porosus), a search for nests, often wading waist-deep in water, is no 
sinecure. . . The total length of the bird in the flesh is 4f inches ; irides 
brown, bill black, legs blackish-brown. Stomach contents, small fish. The call 
is a faint whistle.” 
Australian birds had always been all called Alcyone pusilla until 1912, 
when North separated the Port Essington birds under the name Alcyone 
ramsayi and I described the Cairns form as differing from the Cape York 
one as Alcyone pusilla hallif writing : “ Differs from A. p. pusilla in its much 
larger size and different coloration, being dark purple above, not bright 
blue.” For this comparison Cape York specimens were regarded as 
typical, the type locality being Lobo, S.W. New Guinea, whence birds 
were not available. When such were received at the British Museum, Ogilvie- 
Grant did not discuss the exact relationship of the varied forms of pusilla^ 
but described two new subspecies of A. ricJiardsi thus : A. r. aolce from 
Aola, Guadalcanar, Solomon Group, and A. r. bougainvillei from Bougain- 
ville Island, Solomon Group, while typical A. r. richardsi had been introduced 
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