LITBEATUKE.
B o n a p a e t e , C. L. Conspectus generum Avium, lioyal 8vo. 1850 (p. 153).
H a lc ym melanops, Todiramplms fo rsten i, and Alcedo qumh-ibrachys are new species,
described for th e first time under th e MS. names bestowed on tb e specimens in tb e Leyden
Museum by Temminck.
Todiramplms fu n eb ris is described for th e first time under the MS. name bestowed by
Forsten on a specimen in th e Lej-den Museum.
Halcyon lilacina is th e name proposed for the small race o f Ruddy Kingfisher. I t is the
tru e H. coromanda (Lath, ex Sonn.).
Halcyon sclileyeli is a new species from J ap an . I t is th e large race o f 11. coromanda
( = / / . coromandeliana major. Schl.).
Actenoides hombroni is th e name proposed for Actenoides variegata of ilom b ro n and
Jacquinot.
The an-angement o f th e species u nder the various genera and siibgenera is fairly open to
criticism ; b u t as the au th o r amplifies his views in a more recent publication, we shall not
a ttem p t many remarks on tbe present occasion. As regards the number o f species admitted,
92 in all, I am prepared to admit all b u t 10, viz. :— 1. H a lc yo n strio la ta (=H a lc yo n p yg nma );
2. Halcyon c«c-roj)iiijoe, indeterminable ; 3. H a lc ym f u s e a u H. smyrnensis; 4. H.sohlegeli=
H. lilacina; 5. Todirhamphus chloroeephala=T. collaris; 8. Todiramplms varius—H a lc ym
concreta; 7. Ceyx pw p u r e a= C e y x tridactyla; 8. Alcedo cm n lea , indeterminable; 9. A.
rin tsioides= A. cristata; 10. A. n a is= A . carukocephala.
So th a t we may fairly state th at, in the year 1860, o u t o f th e number o f Kingfishers
recognized a t th e present day, 82 -ivere then known to science.
E e ic h e x b a c h , Dr. L. Handhuch der speciellen Ornithologie—Alcedinem. 8vo, with royal
8vo atlas. Dresden, 1851.
A compilation from th e works o f previous writers, from whose plates the figures accompanying
the present ‘ Monograph ’ have been derived. Many new genera are proposed, few
o f which hold good, while some o f the names are so ill-chosen as to be positively unacceptable
even to strin g en t observers o f the ru le o f priority o f nomenclature. One hundred and
six species are enumerated, o f which several are proposed as new ; b u t not one o f them is
A lc eio p a lla sii is a new species from Easte rn Europe. I t is n o t distinguishable from
A . ispida.
Halcyon irrorata is the name proposed for Smith’s II. senegaloides.
Elmmplialcyon is a new genus. I t is Pelargopsis o f G loger.
I ly lc am (!!) is a new genus for tho reception o f the Alceio melaiwrlujncha o f Temminck.
Ceryle leucomelanura is a new species from Ceylon. I cannot see any distinction between
it and ordinary C. rudis.
Amazonis is a new genus formed for the reception of Cenjle inda and C. superciliosa. I t
is n o t structura lly different from tru e Ceryle.
Umachalcyon is a new genus, o f which th e typo is Dacelo gaudichaudi. Anothe r species
LTTEEATUEE. Ixiii
is M. prineeps. Dacelo gaudichaudi is a tru e Dacelo, and n o t in th e least congeneric with
Monachalcyon princeps, which is really th e type o f a distinct genus.
Chelicutia is a new genus. The type is Alcedo chelicuti o f Stanley. This name is of
course ignored in th e new genus, which has no structural peculiarities to separate it from
TTn 1/iam Yi
Lacedo (!!) is a new genus, the type o f which is the Dacelo pulchella o f Horsfield.
Megaceryle cæsia and M. iotningensis are new species. They ai-e difflcult to distinguish
from the plates, b u t seem to be Ceryle torquata and C. alcyon.
Chloroceryle leucosticta and C. chalcites are new species. They appear to be C. amazonia
and C. amencana.
V eeeeauz, J . & E. Description d’espèces nouvelles, rares on pen connues, d’oiseaux de
Gabon. (Eev. e t Mag. de Zool. 1851, p. 264.)
Halcyon badia is a new species.
D e la B eege. Description d’une nouvelle espèce de Martin-pêchour. (lîev. Zool. 1861.
p. 305, pl. 9.)
A lc eio verreauxii is a new species from Borneo. I t is th e female o f A. asiatica.
Cassis, J. Catalogue o f th e Halcyonidoe in the Collection o f the Academy of Natu ral
Sciences o f Philadelphia. 8vo. 1852.
A very good collection is contained in the Philadelphia Museum, th e most noticeable
rarities being all the types o f Mr. Gould’s Australian species, as follows ;— Alcyone pusilla,
Halcyon pyrrhopygia, I I. sordidus, Syma fkmirostris, Dacelo cervina. Tanysiptera sylvia.
Besides these the Museum also contains th e type o f Alcyone I
Steicklasd, H . E., and Sclatee, P . L. List o f a Collection o f Birds procured by Mr. C. J .
Andersson in the Damata Coimtry in South-western Africa. (Contr. to Orn 1852
p. 141.)
Halcyon daniarcnsis. Strickl., is a new species. I t seems to be n o thing more th an a large
South-Afi-ican race o f IL chelicutensis.
H aetlaub, Dr. G. Bericht über die Leistungen in der Natm-geschichte der Vögel während
des J ah res 1851. 8vo. Berlin, 1852.
In a review of “ the Alcedineæ" o f Roichenbach’s ‘ H andbuch,’ the au th o r believes th a t a
bii-d figured by him as H. cinnamomina, from th e Marquesas Islands, is really n o t th at
species ; and h e proposes to call it II. reichenhacliii.
H ombeos, H ., e t Pl-cnEEAS, Dr. Voyage an Pâle Sud e t dans l’Ocóanie—Zoologie, tome iii.
Mammifères e t Oiseaux. 8vo. Paris, 1863. And folio Atlas o f P lates (1842-53).
The plates wei-e evidently published before th e letterpress, as two Kingfishers are figured
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