HALCYONIN^. 229 



Several species of this genus are found throughout Malay ana, 

 and the Islands, as far as Australia ; one in the Nicobars ; and they 

 have a great general similarity of plumage. The genus Dacelo is 

 chiefly Australian. It has a shorter bill than Halcyon, more like 

 that of TodiramphuSf and bent down at the tip ; but it resembles 

 Halcyon in its less aquatic habits, indeed some of them are 

 emphatically birds of the desert, subsisting mainly on snakes and 

 lizards, but breeding in holes of trees. One or two additional 

 genera have been formed from Dacelo, and one of them 

 Tanysiptera, is remarkable for its leirgthened medial tail-feathers. 



Gen. Ceyx, Lacepede. 



Char. — Bill as in Halcyon, large, wide, barely grooved ; gonys 

 inclined upwards ; culm en flattish ; tail very short ; feet with only 

 three toes, two in front, one behind, the inner toe being absent. 



This genus is peculiar to India, Malayana, the Phillipine 

 Islands, and New Guinea ; and the species have the most beautiful 

 and brilliant plumage of all the tribe. As far as is known, they 

 are quite aquatic in their habits. 



133. Ceyx tridactyla, Pallas. 



Alcedo, apud Pallas — Sykes, Cat. 35 — Jerdon, Cat. 246 — 

 Jerdon, 111. Ind. Orn., PI. 25 — Blyth, Cat. 220 — A. erythaca. 

 Pall. — A. purpurea, Gmel. — C. microsoma, Burton. 



The Three-toed Purple Kingfisher. 



Descr. — Head rufous, with a lilac gloss, a violet spot 

 behind the ear, and a white patch below that ; a small dark 

 blue patch at the base of the bill ; interscapulars and wings deep 

 blue ; the quills black ; back dark blue, with some lustrous blue 

 streaks; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, rich rufous, 

 with a lilac shine on the middle ; cheeks and lower parts ferrugin- 

 ous, paler on the lower belly ; chin and throat white. 



Bill fine coral-red ; legs red ; irides brown. 



Length 5 to 5^ inches ; wing 2^ ; extent 8 ; tail |, not quite 

 ^ inch shorter than wing ; bill at front l\. 



