TAB. LVIII.
A L C E D O FORMOSA.
CHARACTER GENERICUS.
Roflrum trigonum, craflum, re£tum, longum.
Lingua carnofa, brevlifima, plana, acuta.
Pedes greiforii plerifque. LIN. SYST. NAT. p. 178.
CHARACTER SPECIFICUS.
Alceclo brachyura luteo-virefcens, humeris orbitis giila uropygioque flavis, dorfo alls verticeque
cieruleis.
G E N E R I C CHARACTER.
BUI trigonal, thick, ilrait, long.
Tongue fleihy, very ihort, flat, iliarp-pointed.
Feet in moil fpecies greflbrial.
S P E C I F I C CHARACTER.
Short-tailed yellowifli-green Klngfiiher, with the ihoiilders throat and rump yellow, the wings
and crown of the head blue.
THE birds of the genus Alcedo are in general eminently diftinguifhed by the beauty of their
plumage. Few however can exceed in this refpeft the fpecies here reprefented. The Plate
ihews it in its natural fize. The general or prevailing tinge of the body both above and below
is a beautiful yellowiih green; in fome parts, particularly under the throat and on each fide
of the neck, as well as on the flioulders, rifmg into a pure jonquil yellow; while towards the
beginning or upper part of the back and on the breail it deepens into the colour commonly
called apple-green. The upper part of the head, the wings and rump are of the moil beautiful
violaceous blue, while the fmaller wing-coverts or fhoulder-feathers are edged with yellow.
A ftripe of bright yellow is alfo confpicuous on each fide the head, pafling along or including
the region of the eyes. The bill is of a yellowiih horn-colour; the legs reddifli-brown. This
bird is a nadve of South America, and is a fpecies never before defcribed.