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ALCEDO MOLUCCENSIS.
(MOLUCCA K IN G F ISH E R .)
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0 jjHííor moluccensis
Blyth, Joum. As. Soc. Beng. XV., p. 11 (1846).
Schl. Mus. Pays Bas, Alced. p. 8 (1863); et Vog.
Ned. Ind. Alced. pp. 5, 44, pi. 1 (1864).
Lesson, Voy. Coq. I, p. 695 (1826).
A. torque pectorali nullà : abdomine rufo : tectricibus alarum conspicue cyaneo
paroticà nigrà cyaneo notatà : minor : Isetissimè cyaneo .• scapularibus cyaneis.
Hah, in subregione Austro-Malayana.
Head crested, black, profusely b a rred with, rich cobalt; cheeks and ear-coverts
black lo n g itu d in d ly streaked with rich cobalt; back v e ry deep cobalt; scapularies and
wing-coverts d a rk greenish cobalt; th e la tte r having a spot o f b rig h te r cobalt on th e apex
o f each feather; p rim a ry coverts blackish washed ex te rn a lly with greenish blu e; quills
brownish black, th e in n er web v e ry pale rufous a t tb e base, th e ex te rn a l web, especially of
th e secondaries b roadly washed w ith deep blue ; a spot in fro n t o f th e oyo pale reddish;
th ro a t and a patch o f feathers along th e sides o f the neck, white fringed w ith pale rufous;
r e s t o f th e under-surface o f the body ochreous-chesnut, th e u pper p a rt of th e sides o f the
b rea st hav in g a conspicuous b r ig h t blue patch o f feathers ; bill black; feet vermilion.
Female. Precisely similar to th e male, b u t perhaps o f n o t q u ite such an intense blue,
and always to be distinguished b y th e orange mark a t the base o f the u n d e r mandible.
Hah. Flores (Wallace), Celebes {Wallace, Fraser), Bouru ( TFa//ace), Gilolo (Wallace),
Batchian (Rosenberg), Mysol (Rosenberg), Salawati (Rosenberg), Ceram (Rosenberg), Amboma
(Rosenberg), New Ire lan d (G. R . Gray).
The p resen t species belongs to th e same section o f th e gemiB Alcedo A . grandis,
having lilce this b ird the ear-coverts blue. This peculiaiuty a t once distinguishes i t from
Alcedo hengalensis which is its nearest ally, and o f which i t seems to be the representative
species in th e Moluccas.
Additional roferenees.— Blytli, Cat. Bh-ds Mus. As. Soo. Beng. p. 49 (1849); Reich.
Handb. Alced. I, p. 6 (1851); Eosenb. Jouim. f. Om. 1864, p. 118; Gray, Hand-Hst of B. I. p. 95 (1869).