_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
DACELO LEACHII, _Vig. and Horsf._
Leach’s Kingsfisher.
_Dacelo Leachii_, Lath. MSS. Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 205.
Specimens of this fine Kingsfisher are contained in the British Museum,
the Linnean Society, and my own collections, all of which were procured
on the north-east coast of Australia, where it evidently replaces the
_Dacelo gigantea_ of New South Wales and South Australia.
The specimen in the Linnean Society’s museum was presented by Dr. Brown,
who procured it in Keppel Bay on the east coast; and it was subsequently
seen at Shoalwater Bay and Broad Sound on the same coast; my own
specimens were obtained at Cape York, the north-eastern extremity of
Australia.
The habits, actions, food, and indeed the whole of the economy, are so
precisely like those of the _Dacelo gigantea_ that a separate
description of them is entirely unnecessary.
The male has the head and back of the neck striated with brown and
white; sides of the neck and under surface white, crossed with very
narrow irregular markings of brown, these markings becoming much broader
and conspicuous on the under surface of the shoulder; back brownish
black; wing-coverts and rump shining azure-blue; wings deep blue;
primaries white at the base, black on their inner webs and blue on the
outer; tail rich deep blue, all but the two centre feathers irregularly
barred near the extremity and largely tipped with white; upper mandible
brownish black, under mandible pale buff; irides dark brown; feet olive.
The female differs but little from the male in the colouring of the
plumage, except that the tail-feathers, instead of being of a rich blue
barred and tipped with white, are of a light chestnut-brown
conspicuously barred with bluish black.
The Plate represents the two sexes about the natural size.
[Illustration:
DACELO CERVINA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
DACELO CERVINA, _Gould_.
Fawn-breasted Kingfisher.
_Dacelo cervina_, Gould, Birds of Australia, Part II. cancelled.
_Lä-rool_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
The northern and north-western portions of Australia constitute the true
habitat of this species; it was observed in tolerable abundance by
Captain Grey during his expedition to the latter part of the country,
and specimens of it have also formed a part of every collection of any
extent made at Port Essington. In disposition it appears to be more shy
and wary than the _Dacelo gigantea_ of New South Wales, of which it is a
representative. Mr. Gilbert, whose observations were made on the Cobourg
Peninsula, states that it “inhabits well-wooded forests, generally in
pairs, is extremely shy and very difficult to procure; it is very fond
of perching on the topmost dead branch of a tree, where it has an
uninterrupted view of every thing passing around, and pours out its loud
discordant tones. Sometimes three or four pairs may be heard at one
time, when the noise is so great that no other sound can be heard.
“The natives tell me that it breeds in the honey-season, which is during
the months of May, June and July.”
The food of this Kingfisher is doubtless similar to that of the _Dacelo
gigantea_. The stomachs of those examined by Mr. Gilbert were tolerably
muscular, and contained the remains of coleopterous and other kinds of
insects.
When fully adult the male differs from his mate in having the
tail-feathers of a deep and splendid blue instead of brown; a feature
which will be readily perceived on reference to the accompanying Plate.
The male has the feathers of the head buffy white, with a central stripe
of dark brown, the latter colour becoming most conspicuous on the
occiput; throat white; cheeks, ear-coverts, back of the neck, chest and
all the under surface sienna-yellow, crossed on the flanks with very
minute irregular zigzag bands of brown; primaries black at the tip,
white at the base; the base of their external webs, the secondaries and
spurious wing rich china blue; greater and lesser wing-coverts, lower
part of the back and upper tail-coverts shining light blue; tail and the
longest of the upper tail-coverts rich deep blue, the former broadly
tipped with white; irides greenish white; upper mandible blackish brown,
the cutting edges greenish white; lower mandible greenish white, the
base dark brown on the sides, and blue on the under surface; tarsi and
feet emerald green; claws black.
The female has the feathers of the head, cheeks, and ear-coverts buffy
white, with a central stripe of dark brown; throat white; back of the
neck, chest and all the under surface sienna-yellow; the chest, flanks
and abdomen crossed by fine zigzag lines of brown; upper part of the
back and scapularies umber-brown; primaries blackish brown at the tip
and white at the base; the basal portion of their external webs, the
secondaries spurious and the wing rich china blue; greater and lesser
wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts light shining blue; tail and the
longest of the upper coverts rich chestnut-brown, which passes into buff
at the tip, the whole transversely marked with eight or nine bands of
rich blue black.
The figures are those of the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration: