HALCYON MACLEAYII , Jard. and Selb.
MacLeay’s Halcyon.
Halcyon MacLeayii, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ill. pi. 101.
Halcyon incinctus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 142, female.
Bush Kingfisher, Residents at Port Essington.
T h e r e certainly has not yet been discovered a more beautiful Halcyon in any part o f the world than the one
figured in the accompanying. Plate, which has been dedicated to Mr. Alexander MacLeay by the authors of
the “ Illustrations o f Ornithology ” as a tribute of respect, in the propriety o f which I entirely concur.
The extreme brilliancy o f the plumage o f this bird would seem to indicate that it is an inhabitant o f a
hotter climate than that o f New South Wales, and the correctness o f this inference is borne out by the
fact that the Halcyon MacLeayii has only yet been found on the extreme northern portion o f the continent;
it is tolerably abundant at Port Essington, and it is also spread over every part of the Cobourg Peninsula
suited to its peculiar habits ; like the other members of the genus to which it belongs, it is rarely if ever
seen near water, and evinces so decided a preference for the open forests o f the interior o f the country that
it has obtained the name of “ Bush Kingfisher” from the residents at Port Essington ; it is generally dispersed
about in pairs, and feeds on small reptiles, insects and their larvae ; its general note is a loud pee-pee
uttered with considerable rapidity. It incubates in November and December, sometimes forming its nest
in the hollow trunks of trees, and at others excavating a hole for itself in the nest o f the tree-ants, which
presents so prominent and singular a feature in the scenery o f the country: the nest o f the H . Macleayii is
easily discovered, for on the approach of an intruder the birds immediately commence flying about in a
very wild manner, uttering at the same time a loud piercing cry of alarm ; the eggs are three or four in
number, o f a pearly white and nearly round in form, being eleven lines long by ten broad.
So much difference exists in the plumage o f the sexes that Mr. Gilbert states he was for some time induced
to regard them as specifically distinct; an error into which I had myself previously fallen when describing
the female as a new species in the “ Proceedings o f the Zoological Society” as quoted above; “ but
upon closer observation,” adds Mr. Gilbert, “ I soon satisfied myself that the difference o f plumage was
merely sexual, the dissection of a large number o f specimens fully proving that those with a ring round the
neck are males and those without it females.”
The male has a line under the eye and ear-coverts deep glossy black; head, occiput, wings and tail rich
deep prussian blue ; primaries and secondaries white at the base, forming a conspicuous spot when the wings
are spread; for the remainder of their length these feathers are black, margined externally with light
prussian blue ; immediately before the eye an oval spot of white; collar surrounding the back o f the neck
and all the under surface white, tinged with buff on the lower part o f the flanks ; back and upper tail-
coverts verditer blue; scapularies verditer green, both these colours bounded near the white collar with
prussian blue; under surface o f the wing white, the tips of the coverts black; under surface o f the tail
black; bill black, the basal portion of the under mandible yellowish white ; tarsi black ; inner side o f the
feet and back of the tarsi ash-grey; irides very dark brown.
The general colours .of the female are similar to those of the male, but she differs from her mate in being
entirely destitute o f the white collar at. the back of the neck, which part is deep prussian blue, thus uniting
the blue o f the occiput and o f the back; in the tints being much less brilliant in the back, being o f a dull
brownish verditer green, and in the upper tail-coverts pale verditer green instead o f blue; upper mandible
black; lower mandible half-way from the tip and along the whole o f the cutting edges black, the remainder
being fleshy white tinged with blue where it joins the black ; legs and feet greenish grey.
The young male resembles the female in colour, but is still less brilliant; has the back o f a purer green ;
the under surface tinged with buff; the spot on the lores deep buff; and the collar at the back o f a deep
buff, interrupted by some of the feathers o f the occiput.
The figures are those o f a male and a female of the natural size.