404 M. Sundevall on the Birds of Calcutta. 



tion. The chestnut-brown body and snow-white throat, together 

 with the splendid blue of the back, wings and tail, form an un- 

 commonly beautiful whole, which is especially admirable in the 

 living bird when it expands the wings. When the skin is dried, 

 somewhat of the brilliancy of colour is lost, which is the case 

 with most high-coloured birds. This species occurred not rarely 

 about Calcutta. It dwells in the higher trees, or the summits 

 of bamboos, in the vicinity of water, from which it may perhaps 

 procure small fish, though the chief food seems to consist of in- 

 sects. The stomach, which is very thin, almost membranous, 

 was always found full of grasshoppers and crickets, without any 

 remains of fish. This bird flies tolerably quick, somewhat like 

 a woodpecker, and betakes itself to a greater distance when dis- 

 turbed, over the tops of the trees, without regard to the vicinity 

 of water. 



It seems to be stationary near Calcutta, and was seen in pairs 

 in April. The voice was not heard. The Bengalese name is 

 borra matchrenga or great kingfisher. In Latham's ' Gen. Hist/ 

 the name given is Paula gumma. 



53. Alcedocapensis, L. et auct. — Gen. Halcyon recentiorum. 



Pallide fulvescens, superne sordide ceerulea, capite nuchaque ci- 

 nereis ; dorso obtecto nitide cyaneo. Rostrum rubrum, apice recto 

 dorsi carina planata*. 



$ (Serampore d. 25 Febr.). Iris rufo-grisea. Pedes rubri. Gula 

 albida. Corpus subtus lineolis fuscis, tenuissimis transversim un- 

 dulatis. Alse et cauda nitide cinereo-cserulea?. Long. 14 poll. Ala 

 150 mill. ; pes e talo ad apicem unguis 50 ; cauda 106 ; rostrum e 

 fronte 81 ; altit. 20. Rostrum crassum, compressum dorso rectissimo, 

 sutura adscendente. Remiges 1-3 gradatae ; 4 a ceteris longior. Lin- 

 gua brevissima (12 millim.), obcordata, basi ut vulgo sagittata ex- 

 trorsum dilatata, apice profunde incisa, laciniis obtuse rotundatis ! 



I only saw the specimen described, which was found sitting on 

 a post, at a large water-tank. The stomach, which was very thin, 

 was empty, but smelt strongly of fish. The form of the body 

 seemed to be somewhat more slender than in the foregoing spe- 

 cies. The perfectly heart-shaped form of the tongue is unusual 

 among birds t- 



* A. leucocephala, Gra., e Java, lmic si'miHima, differt collo toto, etiam 

 nucha, testaceo, et magnitudine paullo inferiore. An vere dist. sp. ? 



f The bird above described is the Halcyon brunniceps of Jerdon, a name 

 which, if the species be a good one, may be retained in preference to ca- 

 pensis, which implies an error of locality. But the Indian birds are so closely 

 allied to the H. leucocephala of the Malay countries, which only differs in 

 the crown being pale tawny instead of brown, that I can hardly venture to 

 separate them. The hind neck is testaceous in both species. — H. E. S. 



