ALOYONE P U S I L L A .
(L IT T L E B LU E K IN G F ISH E R .)
i Y
A L C Y O N E P U S I L L A .
Ceyx pusilla, . . . . Temm. PI. Col. 595 (
Alcxjone pusilla . . . . Gould, Birds of Austr. II, pi. 36 (1848).
Alcedo pusilla, . . . . Schl. Mus. Pays Baa, Alced. p. 18 (1863).
Nu-rea-hin-mo, of the natives of the Coburg peninsula (Gould).
A. torque pectorali nulla: abdomine albo.
Hah. in Au stralia septentrionali et in sub-regione Austro-Malayana.
Above rich u ltramarine, h av in g a g reenish tin g e in some lig h ts on the head, cheeks and
wing co v erts; quills blackish, th e in n er web lig h te r a t th e base, th e o u ter web distin ctly
washed w ith greenish-hlue, especially on th e secondaries; ta il blue above, black b en e ath ;
a loral spot and a p atch of, feathers along th e sides o f th e neck, white, th e la tte r slig h tly
tino-ed with o ran g e ; entire under-surface white, w ith a greenish lu stre on th e b rea st in
sorue lig h ts ; shoulders, sides o f th e b rea st and flanks, ric h u ltram a rin e ; b ill and feet
g reen ish -g rey ; irid e s d a rk blackish brown. Total len g th 4.8 inches, o f b ill from fro n t
1.15, from gape 1.4, wing 2.0, ta il 0.85, tarsu s 0.25, middle toe 0.45, h in d toe 0.2.
Hah. Rockingham Bay {Ramsay), P o r t Essington {Gould), New Guinea {Midler),
A ru Islan d s {Wallace), Gilolo {Wallace).
This little species o f Kingfisher is confined to th e n o rth e rn p a rts o f A u stra lia , and the
slands of th e A ustro-Malayan su b -reg io n and seems to be everywhere scarce. The original
specimens were sent from New Guinea by the d u tch trav e lle r von Müller, and others were
afterwards d iscovered in n o rth e rn Australia. Mr. Gould has published ( lc .) th e foUowing
i x h i s \o v e l y Uttle Kingfisher is a n ativ e of th e n o rth e rn po rtio n s o f A u s tra lia ; the
specimens in my collection were all procured a t P o r t Essin g to n , where i t is a rare b ird ;
and from its always in h ab itin g the densest mangroves, is n o t only seldom seen, b u t is
extremely difficult to p ro cu re ; in general h abits and manners i t v e ry much resembles the
Alcyone azurea, b u t its flig h t is somewhat more sh rill and pip in g and its flight more
unsteady. Specimens o f th is species from New G uinea, which I have had opportunities of
1839), Gray, P.Z.S. 1858, 1
Additional references.—Gey.r MüU. Verh. Ethn. p. 22 (li
p. 172, Finsch,
1851), Casa. Cat.
p. 172, Rosenb.
Reich. Handb. Alced. p. 7, t. ^ 8 , 3068-69 ^(18i
Neu Guinea, p. 16 (1865). Alexjo... ^ ........., -------- . .
Hale. P1Ú1. Mus. p. 5 (1852), Macmll. Voy. Ratti. II, p. 356 (1852), Sclat.
Journ. f. Orn. 1864, p. 118, Gould, Handb. Birds of Austr. I. p. 142
Alcedo pusilla, Schl. Vog. Ned. Ind. Alced. p.p. 12, 48, pl. 3 (1864).
.42 (Ì865),’ Ramsay, P.Z.S.
I8C8, p. S83.
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