PELARGOPSIS MELANORHYNCHA.
(CREAM-COLOURED STO RK -B IL L ED K IN G F ISH E R .)
Alcedo m e la n o r h y n c h a .............................................. Temm. Pl. Col 391 (1826).
Halcyon melanorhyncha...............Gray, Gen. of B. I, p. 79 (1846).
Halcyon melanorhyncha...............Reich. Handb. Afced. p 18, t. eccxeix,iig. 3U74(18-)1).
Jihanxphalcyon melanorhyncha . . . . Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anis. p. 9 (L854).
Pelargopsis melanorhyncha . . . . Sharpe, P.Z.S. 1870, p. 62.
P. rostro nigro: pileo albescente, fronte gríseo: interscapulio, dorso postico ct uropygio cum eorjiore subtus
dilute oeliraceis; scapularibus, cum alis et cauda sordidc viridibus.
Hab. in insulis “ Celebes” e t “ Sula” dictis.
E n tire body cream-colour, a little deeper ou th e th ro a t and approaching to pale orange
on th e abdomen and u nder tail-c o v e rts ; forehead dusky-grey, the base o f a few feathers ou
the crown also slig h tly shewing th is colour; cheeks and ear-coverts more decided dusky-
grey, th e feathers n a rrow ly edged or washed vd th cream-colour ; middle o f th e back,
scapularies, and wing-coverts brownish, washed with dull green, th e la tte r naxTOwly edged
with cream-colour a t th e t i p ; quiUs d ark brown, the in n er web wdiite a t th e b ase, th e b asal
h a lf o f the o u ter web o f the primaries and th e whole o f the o u ter web o f th e secondaries
d u sk y -g reen ; tail d u sk y -g re en above, d ark brown b eneath ; b ill black ; feet d u sk y ; eyes
dai'k brown. Total len g th 14 inches, o f h ill from front 3.3, from gape 3.5, nniig 5.9, tail
3'7, tarsus 0'45, middle toe 1.1, hin d toe 0.5.
Hab. Celebes {WaUace), Sula Islands (Wallace).
Those systeinatists, who follow in the tracks o f th e late P rin c e Bonaparte, and who
consider any s trik in g variation in the style o f plumage as o f p rim a ry importance, would
have no scruple in separating the p resent b ird as generically d istin c t from th e o th er species
of th e genus Pelargoqjsis. I have indeed been told th a t i t o u g h t to be generically separated,
b u t I cannot see th e p ropriety o f such a step, in th e entfre absence, so far as Í can d e te rmine
o f s tru c tu ra l peculiarities whence generic characters can he selected.
i l r . Wallace has v ery k in d ly given me the following note on th is bfrd made b y him
d u rin g his residence in Celebes:—“ Bill b lack ; inside o f the bill and soles o f the feet
orange ; feet above b la c k ; eats fish, shrimps, &c.”
The figure in the p late as well as the description and measurements are taken from a
fine male from Celebes presented to my collection by my friend i l r . W. T. Fraser.
Additional references.—Alcedo melanorhyncha, Schl. Mus. Pays Bas, Alced. p. 15 (1863); id. Vog. Ned. Ind.
Alccd. pp. 10, 47, pl. 2 (1864). Halcyon melanorhyncha, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. I. p. 155 (1850); Cass. Cat.
Ilalc. Phil. Mus. p. 10 (1852); 'Wall.' Ibis, 1860, p. 142; id. P.Z.S. 1862, pp. 335, 3-38.
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P E LA RG O P S IS MELANORYNCHA.