THE BIEDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
They resent any interference with or examination of a nest, and usually 
abandon one that has been examined.’ Another note, made on 10th January, 
1912 : ‘ Flushed a Syma fiavirostris from its hollow in a termite’s nest 25 feet 
from the ground at the edge of the scrub ; it contained three hard-set eggs. 
The birds attacked me when I was taking the eggs, and struck my hand four 
times, once drawing blood.’ Several nests were found containing young 
birds, but never more than three young or eggs in any nest. In the flesh the 
adult bird measures 7J inches; irides brown, bill yellow with the terminal 
half of the culmen brownish-black, legs yellow. Stomach usually contained 
small lizards and beetles.” 
It will be observed that little has been recorded of the life history of this 
Kingfisher, and as its serrated mandibles are peculiar in the Order, these would 
be worth while recording. The technical history of the forms is not complicated, 
but one or two points are worth noting. As quoted above, the Cape York bird 
was given specific distinction by Gould, and was so ranked in the Catalogue 
of the Birds in the British Museum, Vol. XVII., p. 196, when only two species 
of the genus were recognised. The differential features were given as one 
species possessing a black mark along the culmen, but the possessors were 
reversed, the black mark being attributed to 8 . torotoro, whereas it should 
have been fiavirostris, as given correctly by Gould. Further, the measure- 
ments given were unfortunately chosen, as it would appear that fiavirostris was 
the bigger bird, whereas it was the smaller. 
Collecting being vigorously pursued about New Guinea on account of 
the Tring and British Museums, specimens referable to this genus have become 
more common and many forms have been differentiated. Thus in 1896 
Salvadori described a new species as Syma mega/rhyncha, from the Owen Stanley 
mountains. New Guinea, and the same year Hartert differentiated the Aru 
Island form as a subspecies Syma torotoro tentelare. In 1901 Rothschild and 
Hartert reviewed the species {Nov. Zool., Vol. VIII., p. 143), and there accepted 
five subspecies of Syma torotoro, recognising 8 . megarhyncha as a distinct species 
and referring thereto as synonymous Syma weiskei, described by Reichenow 
the previous year. This latter does not concern us. 
Their association of the subspecies of S. torotoro reads 
“ Syma torotoro torotoro Lesson. 
Type locality, Dorey, Arfak Peninsula. Range, Waigou, Dorey, 
etc., north coast of New Guinea. 
Syma torotoro tentelare Hartert. 
Aru Islands . 
Syma torotoro meeki Rothschild and Hartert. 
Type locality, Milne Bay, S.E. New Guinea. 
110 
