A L C Y O N E L E S S O N !
( L E S S O N ’ S K I N G F I S H E R j .
e Z e a s o n i i ................................................Cass. Proc. Phil. Acad. 1850, p. 69.
Cmjx a z u r e a .......................................................'. Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. I, p. 690 (1826).
Alcyone azurea................................................................. Eosenb. Journ. f. Orn. 1864, p . 118.
A. torque pGctoralx nullo: abdomine rufo : rostro robustiore : su p rà satm-ate ultram a rin a .
Hah. in Novà Guinea et in insulis dictis “ A ru .”
Above deep rich u ltram a rm e ; wing-coverts deep blue-black edged with ultram a rin e ;
quills blackish, th e in n er w eb v e ry lig h t rufous a t the base, the secondaries broadly edged
w ith rich u ltramarine ; ta il deep u ltramarin e above, black beneath ; a minute loral spot
rufous ; a longitudinal p atch o f feathers along th e sides o f the neck white tin g ed with pale
orange ; th ro a t whitish tinged with pale rufous ; cheeks, sides o f th e neck, and a large p atch
o f feathers on th e sides o f the u pper p a rt o f the b rea st deep rich ultramarine, ex ten d in g a
little on to the flanks ; re s t o f the u n d e r surface o f the body deep rufous, w ith a rich lilac
shiue upon the flanks; bill je t-b la c k ; feet red. Total len g th 7 inches, o f bill from front
1’7, from gape 2 ‘1, wing 2’85, tail 1'2, tarsu s 0*3, middle toe 0'5, hin d toe 0*25.
Hah. New Guinea {Lesson, Wallace), A ru Islan d s ( Wallace).
A lth o u g h belonging to th e same group o f thick-billed Alcyones as A . affinis, the
presen t b ird is d istin c t from th a t species, being a ltogether o f a more rich ultramarine, not
so b r ig h t as in its ally from Batchian. I have n o t seen v e ry many specimens o f Alcyone
Lessoni, as i t is a v e ry ra re bird in collections, b u t I have examined a large n um b er o f
Alcyone affinis and believe th a t the two species are entirely distinct, as indeed we m ig h t
expect from th e difference in locality.
I bave tak en th e description from a fine ad u lt b frd collected b y Mr. Wallace in Aru,
and len t to me b y him. The figure is tak en from a New Guinea b ird in my own collection,
which I have th o u g h t i t best to figure, as New Guinea is th e typical locality for the p resent
Additional references.—Alcyone Lessoni, Cass. Cat. Hale. Phil. llu s . p. 5 (1852); Selater, Joum. Linn.
Soc. 1868, p. 156; Sliaipe, P . Z. S. 1869, p. 353. Alcyone azurea, var. Lessonii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, j>. 155 et
P. Z. S. 1861, p. 433.
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