168 ALCEDINID-E. 



] . Alcyone azurea. 



Azure Kiiig-fi.sher, Lath. Gen. Si/n. Svppl. ii. p. 372 (1801). 



Alct'do azurea, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supjd. p. xxxii (1801); Swains. 



Z,H,l lUvsti . i. pt. 2(5 (1820-21) ; tkhl. Mus. 7%«- Z?«8, Alcediues, 



p. 1>(18G3, pt.). 

 Alcedi) tribrachys, Shmv Sf NmJd. Not. Misc. xvi. pi. (581 (1804). 

 Ceyx tribracli\s, Cm: Kegne Anim. i. p. 417 (1817). 

 Three-toed Kiiigtisiher, Leivin, Nat. Hist. B. A'. <S'. Wales, i. pi. 1 



(1822). 

 Cevx azurea. Steph. in Shitc's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. 2, p. 106 (182.5) ; 



Jard. ^- iic/bi/, III. Om. i. pi. .55 (18.-.9). 

 Cevx cyanea, Le.-s. TraifS, p. 241 (1831). 

 Alcyone niistralis, Strains. VUisxIf. B. ii. p. 33(5 (1837). 

 Alcvoiie azurea, Ewiiiq, Tasvi. Journ. i. p. 5(5 (1842); Gray, Gen. B. 



i.' p. 82 (1847); id. Cat. Fi.'^sir. Brit. 3his. p. 65 (1818) ; Gould, 



B. Avsti: ii. ]>!. 25 (184S) ; BIylh. Cat. B. Miis. As. Hoc. p. 50 



(184t)); Bp. Consp. i. p. 158 (i^<50); Re.ivhenb. Handb., Alced. 



p. 7, Taf. 397. figs. 3G<54-(55 (1851) ; Cassin, Cat. Hale. Philad. 



Mus. p. 5 (1852) ; Macqill. Voy. 'Batflesnake; ii. p. 356 (1852) ; 



Bp. Consp. Tolucr. Anis'. \,. 10 (1854); Gould, Handb. B. Austr. 



i. p. l.'iSt (1865); Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 9(3, no. 1175(18(19); 



Sharjye, P. Z. 8. 18(59, 'p. 3'j5 ; id. Monoyr. Alced. p. 41, pi. 13 



(1870); Bavmti/, Proc. Linn. Soc. A. S. W. ii. p. 179 (1878); 



Aorf/i, op. cit. (2 I i. p. Il(i3 (18b6), iii. p. 1774 (1888) ; Ravisuy, 



Tab. List Au.'tfr. B. p. 3 (l88s). 

 Alcyone dieiueuensis, G'ould, P. Z. S. 1846, p. 19; Grai/, Gen. B. i. 



p. 82 (1847) ; Kaup, Fam. Eisv. p. 18 (1848); Govl'd, B. Austr., 



Intr. p. xxxi (lS4s) ; Beiihenb. Vii//. Neu/wll. p. 278 (lt50) ; Cab. 



i^- Heine, Mas. Hein. Th. ii. p. 143 (18(0); Gould, Handb. B. 



Austr. i. p. 141; Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 96, no. 1177 (18(39); 



Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 355 ; id. Monoyr. Alced. p. 47 (1870) ; 



Rarnsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. ii. p. 179 (1878); id. Tab. 



List Austr. B. p. 3 (1888). 



Adult. Above bright ultraniariiie ; wing-coverts blackish, edged 

 with ultramariue ; quills blackigh, the inner web light rufous at 

 the base, the secondaries externally edged with lighter blue; tail 

 deep ultramarine above, black beneath ; a loral spot of pale rufous ; 

 throat and a longitudinal patch of feathers along the sides of the 

 neck white tinged with orange ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of 

 the upper part of the breast ultramarine ; rest of the under surface 

 of the body cinnamon-rufous, with a lilac lustre on the flanks and 

 under tail-coverts. Total length 6-5 inches, culmen TS, wing 2-9, 

 tail l-;3.5, tarsus O'S. 



Sexes alike. 



Younif. (Similar to the adult, but not so brilliant blue, the 

 scapulars and lateral breast-patch black, only slightly washed with 

 blue ; the neck-stripe orange-buff; the head blackisli, banded with 

 blue. 



A. diemenensis cannot be separated from A. azurea, and the 

 characters on which I depended in my ' ilonograph ' are merely 

 those of an immatuie bird. 



Hah. Australia and Tasmania. 



1 



