280 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the Kingfishers of South Africa. 



to the same bird, although he quotes Brisson's species as iden- 

 tical. Dr. Finsch has carefully collated the synonymy for his and 

 Dr. Hartlaub's forthcoming work on the Ornithology of Eastern 

 Africa ; and he agrees with me that, as we can never settle the 

 question with absolute certainty, it will be more to the interest of 

 science to keep the two species under the names by which they 

 have been generally known, viz. Corythornis vintsioides for the 

 bird, and C. cristata for the Continental*. 



With regard to the Alcedo cyanostigma of Riippell (N. Wir- 

 belth. Taf. 24), Dr. Finsch was inclined to regard it as a good 

 species ; but on examining the large series of specimens in my 

 collection, he agreed that my determination was right, and that 

 Riippell's species is nothing more than the young of C. cristata. 

 In order to be sure on this point I wrote to Frankfort to request 

 the loan of the type-specimen, to enable me to decide the 

 question once and for ever ; but I regret that my application did 

 not meet with success. I further regret this circumstance as 

 this is the only case in which I have met with a refusal from 

 any Museum, public or private, in England or abroad, to furnish 

 me with a sight of any specimens that I required for the purpose 

 of ray work. In the absence of a personal view, I must consider 

 Riippell's bird to be identical with specimens from other parts 

 of Africa, although I should like to see more Abyssinian speci- 

 mens. I have however no doubt that this determination, in 

 which Dr. Finsch entirely concurs, will prove to be perfectly 

 correct. 



As in the case of H. chelicutensis, specimens of C. cristata 

 from South Africa are larger than those from West Africa and 

 Abyssinia, but do not present any difference in plumage. I 

 subjoin the measurements of several specimensf from different 

 localities, but I cannot discover any characters sufficient to 

 justify the separation of the South- African bird as a distinct 

 species. 



* [Dr. Puclieran Qoc. cit.) is of the contrary opinion. — Ed.] 

 t The first, fifth, and sixth of these are in Mr. Gould's collection, the 

 fourth in Mr. Monteiro's, the others in my own. 



