158 ALCEDINID.E. 



P. Z. S. 187o, p. 101 ; Saload. Ann. Mas. Civic. Genov. vii. p. G52 

 (1875) ; Ticeedd. Ibis, 1877, p. 297 ; Hume Sf' Davison, Sfr. F. vi. 

 p. 83 (1878) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 329 ; id. Ibis, 1879, p. 248 ; 

 Hume, Str. F. viii. pp. 50, 86 (1879) ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. 

 Genov. xiv. p. 193 (1879); Vorderm. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. 

 xli. p. 185 (1881) ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 381 : A. Mull. J.f. 0. 



1882, p. 397 ; Blasius, J.f. O. 1883, pp. 213, 215; Nichols. Ibis, 



1883, p. 89 ; Blasius, Zeitschr. qes. Orn. iii. p. 94 (1886) ; Vordenn. 

 Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. xlvi. p. 11 (1886), xlix. p. 393 (1889) ; 

 Blasius', Ornis, 1888, p. 307 ; S/iarjie, Ibis, l690, pp. 18, 283. 



Alcedo asiatica, Sivains. Zool. Illustr. Istser. i. pi. 50 (1821) ; Sharpe, 

 Ibis, 1809, p. 281 ; id. Monogr. Alced. p. 25, pi. 5 (1870) ; Wald. 

 Ibis, 1872, p. 368 ; Hu7ne, Str. F. i. p. 450 (1873) ; 31eijer, Ibis, 

 1879, p. 64 ; Guillem. P. Z. S. 1885, p. 255 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1888, 

 p. 197 ; Everett, P. Z. S. 1889, p. 226 ; id. Journ. Straits Branch 

 P. As. Soc. 1889, p. 159; Whitehead, Ibis, 1890, p. 45. 



Ceyx meninting, Cuvier, Pegne Anim. i. p. 444 (1829). 



Alcedo bengalensis {nee Gm.), Less. Traite, p. 243 (1831, pt.). 



Alcedo verreauxi, De la Berr/e, Rev. Zool. 1851, p. 305, pi. 9 ; 

 Peichenb. Hafidb., Alced. p. 5, Taf. 403. fig. 3173 (1851) ; Blgth, 

 Ibis, 1866, p. 348; Grarj, Hand-l. B. i. p. 95, no. 1155 (1869). 



Adult male (type of species). General colour above rich purplish 

 blue ; the entire back brilliant cobalt, changing to deeper blue on 

 the lower rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing-coverts black, washed 

 with purplish blue, with a small spot of brighter blue near the end 

 of each feather ; cjuills black, the secondaries externally purplish 

 blue like the scapulars ; tail black, washed with purplish blue ; 

 crown of head black, barred across with purplish blue rather 

 brighter than the shade of the back ; the hind neck beautiful 

 purplish blue, with the black cross bars more or less obsolete ; 

 lores blackish, with a rufous supraloral streak ; sides of face, ear- 

 coverts, and cheeks purplish blue like the crown, the feathers 

 mottled with black bases ; behind the ear-coverts a broad band of 

 white tinged with ochreous buff ; throat white with a rufous 

 wash ; rest of under surface of body from the lower throat down- 

 wards chestnut-rufous, with a patch of purplish-blue lilac-tinged 

 feathers on each side of the upper breast : under wing-coverts 

 chestnut-rufous, a little paler than the breast : " bill blackish 

 brown ; feet coral-red ; iris brown " {A. Everett). Total length 

 5-3 inches, ciilmen 1-65, wing 2-55, tail 1-05, tarsus 0-35. 



Adult female. Exactly resembles the male in colour, and has even 

 the checks blue like the male. It appears, however, always to have 

 the bill more or less red, and generally the greater part of the lower 

 mandible is rufous. Total length 5 5 inches, culmen 1-G5, wing 

 2-6, tail 1-05, tarsus 0-25. 



It would seem that my former surmise in the ' Monograph,' that 

 the female differed from the male in having rufous cheeks, was a 

 mistake. This character is a sign apparently of young females only. 

 Not only does the Hume Collection contain several specimens carefully 

 determined by Mr. Davison as " females," which have blue checks 

 like the male, but Sir Hugh Low sent me a hen bird captured on 

 the nest which has the checks entirely blue ; and this seems to 



