Birds of the Philippine Islands. 113 



Ceyx cyannpedus and two of ('. philippinensis. The sexes of 

 these four specimens were not determined, but Major 

 Ramsay and Dr. Sharpe came to the conclusion that tlie 

 two supposed species were merely the male and female of 

 one and the same bird. C. philippinensis was held by Major 

 Ramsay to be the male, and C cyanopectus the female. This 

 being apparently the correct view, the former name became 

 a synonym of the latter, and thus the matter has rested up 

 to the present time, except that Mr. Hartert [Kat. Vogels. 

 Mus. Senckcnb. p. 133, footnote (1891)] remarked that in 

 his opinion the two species should be kept distinct. 



Mr. Whitehead, who is always extremely careful to 

 ascertain the sexes of his birds correctly, has now sent home 

 a male and female of Ceyx cyanopectus, and a male and two 

 females of C. philippinensis ! This is an exceedingly inter- 

 esting but rather startling discovery, for since I have not 

 the slightest doubt that the sexes of his five birds are 

 correctly determined, it follows that the two species are 

 after all undoubtedly distinct, and must therefore be once 

 more separated. C. cyanopectus, in addition to the dark 

 blue pectoral band which is absent in C. philippinensis, has 

 the bill longer and more slender, the underparts paler rufous, 

 and the flanks dark blue instead of rufous. I am inclined to 

 believe that the Ceyx steerii, Sharpe, from Mindoro is merely 

 a somewhat dull-coloured example of C. philippinensis, 

 with the breast and underparts brownish instead of orange- 

 chestnut ; the more so as a second example from the same 

 locality is perfectly similar to GoukFs type. In volume xvii. 

 of the ' Catalogue of Birds,^ p. 186, Dr. Sharpe has ac- 

 cidentally put down Eyton^s bird as the type of the species 

 {Ceyx cyanopectus, La Fresnaye), which of course it is not. 

 The sentence should read, "Type of Alcyone cincta, Jardine." 



The two species C. cyanopectus and C. philippinensis do not 

 really belong to the genus Ceyx, but should be referred to 

 Alcyone, and stand as follows : — 



Alcyone cyanipectus (La Fresnaye). 

 Alcyone cyanopectus, Jard. Contr. Orn. p. 82 (1850) ; 

 Sharpe, Monogr. Alced. p. 55, pi. 17 (1869). 



SER. VII. VOL. I. I 



