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CEYX LEPIDA.
CE Y X LEPIDA.
(B EA U T IFU L KIN G F ISH E R .)
!
Ceij.v lepida,
Alcyone lepida,
Dacelo lepida,
Temm. PI. Col. 595.
Gray and Miteli. Gen. of Bircla, I. p. 82 (c. 184-t).
■Sehl. Mus. Pays, Bas, Alced. p. 48 (1863).
C. capite nigro, cæruleo maculato : rostro corallino, longiori, robustiori : genis et regione paroticà cæruleo
maculatis : dorso ultramarino, uropygio eyaueseentc : major : maculis loralibus majoribus : capitis summi maculis
et iuterseapulio cærulescentioribus.
‘ Amboina,” et in Novâ Guinea au stra li et au strali-
Hab. in in sulis dictis “ Ceram,”
occidentali.
Head, nape, cheeks and wing-coverts black, p lentifully spotted with rich ultramarme,
eacb feather hav in g a central strip e o f b rig h te r b lu e ; scapularies black, washed with
rich u ltram a rin e ; back v ery b rig h t u ltramarin e, becoming silvery-blue to\yards_the rum p ;
wing-feathers blackish, tb e in n er web rufous from tbe base ; ta il blackish, tin g ed with
ultram a rin e ; th ro a t and a lo n g itu d in al patch o f feathers on the side oi the neck white,
th e la tte r tin g ed w ith orange ; a large spot in fro n t o f the eye, and the entire u n d e rsurface
orange, paler on the abdomen ; b ill and feet rich coral-red. 'Total length 5.5
inches, o f b ill from fro n t 1.5, from gape 1.7, wing 2.5, ta il 1, tarsu s 0.3, middle toe 0.5,
h in d toe 0.2
7/a5. Amboina {Wallace), Ceram (Wallace). South and South-West Coast o f New
Guinea (Wallace, von Rosenberg).
Specimens o f th e p resent species from the above localities have bty n b ro u g h t to
Europe by Mr. Wallace, b u t the b ird is by no means common in collections in th is country.
Mr. ‘Wallace tells me th a t “ i t is th e most abu n d an t and characteristic species in the
Moluccas. I ts h abits resembles those o f Ceyx rufidorsa, Strickland.”
I have tak en my description and measurements from a very beautiful b ird in Sir.
Wallace’s collection, procured by h im in No rth ern Ceram. Tho left hand figure is
d rawn from 'reraminck’s type specimen in the Leiden Sluseuni, while the r ig h t h an d one
represents the Ceramese bird. 'Temminck’s specimen is evidently a younger bird.
Additional References— Ce»,V lepida. Gray. Cat. Fiss. Brit. Mus. p. 59 (1848), Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av I
1 .inrreN A-.., f in - /.„..re,.;;; Are. (1851), Cass. p. 158 (1850), Reich. Handb. Alced, p. 10. t. cecxcviii, fig. 3066 (1851), Cass Cat. Hale. Fluì. Mus. p. 14
(1852), Sharpe, P.Z.S. 1868, p. 271. Dacelo lepida, 8chl. Vog. Ned. hid. Alccd.
: I
I f ! /
pp. 39, 66, pl. 16 (186-1).