T A N Y S I P T E R A G A L A T E A .
( “ G A L A T E A ” K IN G F ISH E R .)
Tanysiptera galatea . Gi-ay, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 154; id. P . Z. S. 1860, p. 347; 'Wall, P. Z. S. 1863,
p. 24; Gray, Handl. ofB. I. p. 90 (1869); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 631.
Tanysiptera dea . . Vig. Linn. Trans. XIV, p. 433 ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. & B. of N. Guin. p. 20
(1859).
Alcedo dea . . . Less. Voy. Coq. I, p. 697 (1826).
Dacelo dea (ffA) . . Sehl. Mus. Pays Bas, p. 43 (1863); id. Vog. Ned. Ind. pp. 33,
62 (1864); id. Ned. Tidschr. 1866, p. 271.
P. maculâ dorsali nulla: uropygio albo : cauda spatulata: genis, regione parotica et collo postico saturate
cæruleis : püeo concolori : tectricibus supracaudalibus omnino albis : dorso concolori.
Hah. in insula “ W a ig io u ” d ictâ et in Novâ Guineâ.
H e a d a n d n a p e b r i l l ia n t u l t r am a r in e ; c h e e k s , e a r-c o v e rts , sid e s o f th e n e c k , b ack a n d
s c a p u la rie s d e e p b lu e -b la c k ; u p p e r -v in g -c o v e rts b la c k e d g e d w i tb d a r k b lu e , th e in te r io r
o n e s b r ig h t u l tr am a r in e w in g -f e a th e rs b lack, th e in n e r w e b w h ite a t th e b a s e , th e o u te r
w e b p le n tifu lly Avasbed Avith d a r k b lu e ; low e r p a r t o f th e b a c k , r um p a n d u p p e r ta ü - c o v e r ts
p u r e w h ite ; ta il-fe a th e r s w h ite , -with a n a r ro w e d g in g o f b lu e o n th e o u t e r web , th e tAvo
m id d le ta il-fe a th e r s b lu e a s f a r as th e s p a tu la , a w h ite s p o t o r tw o a t th e b a se o f th e fe a th e r s
a n d a v e r y n a r ro w e d g in g o f w h ite h e r e a n d th e r e o n th e in n e r Aveb; e n tir e u n d e r -s u rf a c e
c r e am y w h i t e ; b ill s e a lin g -w a x re d ; fe e t olive-broAvn. T o ta l l e n g th 17 5 in c h e s , o f b ill
from fr o n t 1 '3 , from g a p e 1 '8 , Aving 4 .4 , t a ü 4*9, m id d le re c tric e s l l 'O , ta r s u s 0 '4 , m id d le
to e 0 '8 , h in d to e 0 ’35.
Hah. Waigiou, New Guinea {Wallace).
T h is is o n e o f th e l a r g e s t sp e c ie s o f Tanysiptera, a n d lik e T . nais p o sse sse s a v e r y lo n g
ta i l . I t m a y , hoAvever, b e re c o g n is e d from t h a t sp e c ie s b y i t s u n ifo rm c o lo u re d b a c k .
My d e s c rip tio n , m e a su r em e n ts a n d fig u re a r e ta k e n from a b e a u tif u l s k in in Mr.
W a lla c e s priA'ate collec tion.