202 ALCEDINID^. 



Melidora euphrosina', licickenb. I, c. ; Rosenh. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. 



Ind. XXV. p. 230 (1863) ; id. J. f. O. 1861, p. 117. 

 Melidora euplirasiiB, Bp. Consp. Vol. Anisod. p. 9 (18-54). 

 Dacelo niacrorliiua, ScJil. Mus. P.-B. Alced. p. 22 (1863) ; id. Vog. 



Nederl. hid. Alced. pp. 17, 51, pi. 4. %. 1 (1864) ; id. Mus. P.-B. 



Alced. Beviie, p. 13 (1874). 

 Melidora goldiei, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, i. p. 389 



(1876). 

 Melidora coUaris, Sharpc, Journ. Linn. Sue. xiii. p. 313 (1877). 



Adult male. General colour above blackish, mottled with greenish- 

 ochro bands at the end of the feathers of the back, scapulars, and 

 ■wing-coverts, all of which have a yellowish centre to the terminal 

 band ; feathers of the rump and upper tail-coverts also tipped with 

 a band of ochre, on which a greenish shade predominates ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, the secondaries externally 

 olive, the innermost ones tijiped with an ochreous band ; tail- 

 feathers dusky brown, edged with olive-greenish and tipped with 

 ochreous buflf, which extends along the edge of the outer web ; 

 crown of head black, the feathers edged with blue, with a brighter 

 blue streak in the centre of the blue band ; round the hind neck a 

 band of black, succeeded by a second band of ^^hite above the 

 mantle ; lores black, surmounted by a streak of white, which 

 extends as a narrow eyebrow above the ear-coverts ; this white 

 eyebrow tinged with blue ; ear-coverts black, joined to the black 

 band round the hind neck ; across the lower line of the ear-coverts 

 a band of white washed with ochre, and continued below the eye to 

 some infra-loral bristly white feathers ; cheeks entirely black, 

 forming a broad band ; throat and entire under surface of body 

 white, the sides blackish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, 

 the primar3"-coverts white with some dusky bands ; quills dusky 

 below, light ochreous along the inner web : " bill black, lower 

 mandible whitish; feet ashy grey; iris black" (D'Alhertis). 

 Total length 9-5 inches, culmen 1-85, wing 4'9, tail 3-5, 

 tarsus 0"7. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but differing in the colour of 

 the head, which is blackish, all the feathers minutely tipped with 

 green, and the hind head surrounded by a broad baud of bright blue 

 feathers, which extends from above the eye round the nape ; the 

 throat and under wiug-coverts are ochre-rufous : " feet greenish ; 

 iris chestnut" (D'Albertis). Total length 10 inches, culmen 1-8, 

 wing 4-6, tail 3-4, tarsus 0-7. 



Yoioir/ female. Similar to the adult, but having the tips to all the 

 feathers of the upper surface rufous-ochre, and the collar round the 

 hind neck as well as the under surface of the body also rufous-ochre, 

 with dusky fringes to all the feathers ; a broad moustachial band 

 and the centre of the abdomen white. 



Bab. New Guinea and Salawati, Waigiou and Mysol. 



a. Ad. sk. New Guinea. Tweeddale Coll. 



b. 5 ad. ; e. 2 Dorey. Wallace Coll. 



i^ 



sk. 



