THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
is not very helpful. An item worthy of note is the distribution he gives of 
his three subfamUies — 
“ C&ryinm. Both hemispheres, not in Australian or Indo-Malayan 
Regions. 
AlcedinincB. E. Hemisphere, one shght genus, restricted to Australian 
Region. 
DacelonincB. E. Hemisphere, restricted to Austrahan Region, except 
two genera.” 
When one of the two genera indicated in the last is known to be the 
“ genus ” Halcyon “ of over eighty forms,” of which almost a quarter are 
African, the distribution looks different. This will be better discussed under 
the species of Australian “ so-called ” Halcyon. 
It may he noted that sexual differences in “ Halcyon ” have been 
commonly overlooked, but in the present genus the peculiar head coloration 
is so remarkable that it could not be otherwise than emphasised. In this 
case a'so, however, I find, irrespective of the black crown patch in the female, 
that the latter sex is duller throughout. At present I do not know 
the relationship of the genus, its range indicating nothing save that it may 
be of Dacelonine association, but this Indo-Malayan Region has so many 
peculiar genera, LacedOf Melidora, Clytoceyx, Sauromarptis, Daceloy that this 
means little. 
Since the preceding was written, a criticism of the “ genus ” Halcyon 
has shown the affinity of this genus, as will be explained further on. 
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