Africa o f such a form o f Kingfisher has yet to be accounted for, especially when i t is
remembered th a t it is coexistent along th e bights o f th e Gold Coast with P itta angolensis,
also an isolated representative o f an In d ian genus.
T he next subdivision contains two species with b eautiful white heads. I t is questionable,
a fte r th e experiences detailed by M. Ju le s Verreaux in th e account o f / / . seinicwrulea in the
body o f th e work, whether E . erytlirogastra should be considered any th in g more than a
large and b rig h tly coloured subspecies o f th e continental bird. The next section contains
n o thing b u t Kingfishers purely o f an E thiopian type, with striped heads and a very distinct
c re st; and, lastly, we have apparently th e connecting lin k between the red-hilled section o f
th e group and those which have th e b ill pai'ticoloured, black and red. This species is
H . senegaloides, which possesses a red bill and yet pax-takes thoroughly o f the style of
plumage o f Halcyon senegalensis. This last-named species, with H. cyanoleuca, constitute
th e n ex t subdivision; along with two o th er species remarkable for th e ir robust form {H.
dryas and H. malimbica), these are th e largest Halcyones o f th e Ethiopian type.
T h e th ird division of th e genus contains all th e species h a rin g dusky black bills with the
base o f th e lower m andible yellowish; and I still subdivide the Kingfishers it contains according
to th e colour of th e head. Th u s m y first section contains only one species, which has the
head p u re w h ite ; this is H. albicilla', b u t it is to be remarked th a t I have every i-eason to
believe th a t 11. sacra, which is th e representative o f this species in Oceania, when very old,
assumes a white head, though I have never yet seen one with th e head entirely white.
Secondly, we have a small subdivision with brillian t blue plumage, forming th e genus
Gyrmalcyon o f Bonaparte. I have asked M. Ju le s Verreaux about this genus, for which
Bonaparte quotes h im as th e a u th o r ity ; and h e assures me th a t i t was never published by him,
and h e was much surprised to see his name in p r in t ; all h e remembers is mentioning in the
coiu-se o f coni'ersation to Prince Bonaparte th a t these blue Kingfishers formed a section in
the genus Halcyon, which m ig h t be termed subgenerically Cyanalcyon, and th a t the Prince
made a note o f it a t th e time, which i t seems h e afterwards published. T h e Blue Kingfishers
all possess striking chai-aeteristics, the males and females in every species, so far as
we yet know, differing conspicuously one from another. They all have brilliant-coloured
backs, with th e exception o f H. leucopygia, which, as its name denotes, has the back white.
H . nigrocyanea is one o f th e largest of th e section, and is a t once distinguished by its black
scapulars. Those which have th e scapulars cobalt are th ree in number, viz. II. lazuli,
H . diops, and H. macleayi. T h e blue on th e breast and abdomen separates the first of
these th re e ; and o f th e last two the females a re also n o t difficult to distinguish, b u t the
males are veiy similar. All the remaining species o f Halcyon have green heads, inclining,
according to th e species, to more or less o f a blue colour: they have been generally classed
in th e genus T o d i r a m p lm s b u t, as will be presently seen, th e members o f this , genus are
really very distinct in form. One o f th e most remarkable species o f the green group is
Halcyon pyrrhopygia, which, by reason of its red back, stands alone from all its congeners.
Nex t we have a group o f cinnamon-coloured Halcyones, o f w hich th e first two, II. cinnamomin
a and II. australasice, approach S yma in style o f coloration. The first of these two
species appears to differ wonderfully in plumage, some o f th e stages being given in the
present work ; b u t it is difficult to determine, in the present state o f our knowledge, which is
the very old bird ; for they differ conspicuously even when all traces o f young plumage have
disappeared. The other subdivision o f th e cinnamon-coloured section contains th re e species,
two o f which have been long known to science, and have been made the types o f th e genera
Caridagrus and Astacophilus o f Messrs. Cabanis and Heine. The th ird species, H . hombroni,
is a t present only represented by the unique specimen in th e Paris Museum. The next
section contains several species, all o f which seem to have two forms, a b right- and a dingy-
coloured representative. Th u s H . ju lioe is th e dull-coloured representative o f / / . sacra,
H. sordida o f I I. chloris, and I I. vagans o f H . sancta. The h ab itats o f these dark-coloured
forms are always distinct ; and I have therefore no h esitation in keeping them separate. Of
the first section o f this green group o f the genus Halcyon there are two species, which have
a very distinct superciliary cinctui-e encircling th e head. O f these Halcycm sacra is, as far
as I can see, the Polynesian representative o i H . albicilla-, for in some stages o f plumage,
where th e head gets white, they must be very h a rd to distin g u ish ; yet th e young are
totally different, as wiU be seen by a reference to th e Plates given in th e ‘Monograph.’
H. ju lioe is only a dark-coloured representative o f / / . sacra, and bears th e same relation to
th a t species th a t H. sordida does to H. chloris and H . vagans to H. sancta. The last-named
birds call for little remark ; and so we have only to notice the remaining species o f the
genus, which stands quite alone: this is H . funebris, readily to b e distinguished by its dark
brown (sometimes black) head and back.
G e n u s 12. D acelo.
Dacelo, Leach, Zool. Misc. ii. p. 125 ( 1 8 1 5 ) .............................
Paralcyon, Gloger, Fi-or. Notiz. p. 278 (1 8 2 7 ).............................
Choucalcyon, Less. Traité d'Orn. p. 248 ( 1 8 3 1 ) .......................
Nycticeyx, Gloger, Handb. d. Naturg. p. 338 (1842)
dis, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. ii. p. 163 (1860)
Type.
D. gigas.
D. gigas.
D. gigas.
D. gaudichaudi.
a. Scapularibus bnmneis.
a'. Sexibus similibus: pilco medio rufescenti-brunneo, a trinque albido:
cinctu nuchaii b r u n n e o ....................................................
Id. Sexibus dissimilibus, mari cauda cyaneâ a feminâ (caudâ rufa)
distinguendo : pileo distincte striato.
c". Subtùs albescens, fasciis pai-ris b ru n n e is ...................................... 2. leachi.
b". Subtùs cerrinæ.
a"'. Pogonio externo rectricis extimi maris albo baud fasciato . ' 3 . cervina,
b'". Pogonio externo rectricis extimi maris albo distincte fasciato 4. occidentalis.
b. Scapularibus nigerrimis.
..................................................................................................i.ya u iich a u d i.
6. Plico nigl'o ocbracco p u n c ta to .................' .......................................Q. tvro