BLUE-mNGED KINGFISHER. 
D. occidentalis, D. leachii and Salvadori’s D. intermedia from New Guinea 
should be considered merely local varieties of one and the same species: the 
colour, and the form of the biU, wiU be found to be of very little importance 
when a large series of these birds are carefuUy examined.” 
In my “ Reference List,” published in the Nov. Zool. (Vol. XVTII., 
1912), I recognised four subspecies, thus — 
“ Dacelo leachii leachii Vigors and Horsfield. Queensland. 
Dacelo leachii cervina Gould. Northern Territory. 
Dacelo leachii occidentalis Gould. North-west Australia. 
Dacelo leachii mungi. 
Differs from D. 1. cervina in its much smaller size ; wing 185 mm. 
Interior of North-west Australia. 
Immediately afterwards I received a collection of birds from Melville 
Island and, reviewing the species, I added — 
“ Dacelo leachii nana. 
Differs from D. 1. cervina in its very much darker imder-surface, head and 
back, also in its smaller size ; wing 172 mm., biU (from nostril) 50. 
Melville Island. 
Dacelo leachii cliftoni. 
Differs from D. 1. occidentalis (type from Derby) in its paler under-surface, 
head and back. Type from Carnarvon, Mid- west Australia.” 
Later, the birds from Cape York came to hand, and they were at once 
differentiated as — 
“ Dacelo leachii kempi. 
Differs from D. 1. leachii in being smaller in size and darker in colour.” 
This was inevitable, as Sharpe had considered them cervina and Hartert 
leachii. 
Conservatively I suppressed D. 1. mungi, recognising only six subspecies 
in my List in 1913. When Ogilvie-Grant dealt with the collections of New 
Guinea birds made in south-west New Guinea he recorded them as Dacelo 
leachii intermedia, noting that they were very dark specimens. 
I have again re-examined my augmented series in connection with other 
material, and now admit many subspecies. 
Dacelo leachii leachii Vigors and Horsfield. 
Mid- Queensland. 
The underparts are white, thickly freckled with wavy crosslines of brown. 
Dacelo leachii kempi Mathews. 
North Queensland. 
Smaller than preceding, and less freckling above, while darker above, leading 
to D. 1. intermedins. 
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