KINGFISHER 487 
there seems to be at least some ground for believing that a nearer 
alliance is to be found in the Galbulide (JACAMAR), Momotidx 
(Motmot), Meropide (BEE-EATER), and perhaps some other Families 
—though all may possibly be discovered to belong to one and 
the same larger group. Be that as it may, the present Family 
forms the subject of a work by Dr. Sharpe,! which, though wholly 
incomplete as regards their anatomy,” is certainly one of the best 
of its class, and reflects infinite credit on its then youthful author, 
whose treatment of his subject was most successful. Herein are 
described 125 species, nearly all of them being beautifully figured 
by Mr. Keulemans, and that number may be taken even now as 
approximately correct ; for, while the validity of a few has been 
denied, nearly as many have since been made known, and it seems 
likely that two or three more described by older writers may yet 
be rediscovered. These 125 species Dr. Sharpe groups in 19 
genera, and divides into 2 subfamilies, Alcedininw and Dacelonine,? 
the one containing 5 and the other 14 genera, the largest being 
Halcyon with 36 species ranging from Asia Minor to Japan, and from 
HALcyon. 
SECEL (After Swainson.) 
the Cape Verd Islands to New Zealand. With the then existing 
materials perhaps no better arrangement could have been made, 
but in the absence of anatomical knowledge it is certainly not to be 
deemed conclusive, and indeed the method since published by 
Sundevall (Zentamen, pp. 95, 96) differs from it not inconsiderably, 
Here, however, it will be convenient to follow that of Dr. Sharpe. 
Externally, which is almost all we can at present say, Kingfishers 
present a great uniformity of structure. One of their most remark- 
able features is the feebleness of their feet, and the union (SYNDAC- 
TYLISM) of the third and fourth digits for the greater part of their 
length ; while, as if still further to shew the comparatively function- 
less character of these members, in two of the genera, dlcyone and 
1 4 Monograph of the Alcedinide or Family of the Kingfishers, by R. B. 
Sharpe, 4to. London: 1868-71. 
2 Some important anatomical points are briefly noticed by Prof. Cunningham 
(Proce. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 280). 
3 The name of this latter subfamily as constituted by Dr. Sharpe would 
seem to be more correctly Ceycinw—the genus Ceyx, founded in 1801 by Lace- 
pede, being the oldest included in it. The word Dacelo, invented by Leach in 
1815, is simply an anagram of <Alcedo, and, though of course without any 
etymological meaning, has been very generally adopted. 
