— w, — 



59* Halcyon mediocris. 

 Halcyon cinnamominns jit. I'insrh, J. Mvis. Godef. 1876 XII. 20 (Ponape : snbtns cinnamominaj; id. 

 J. f. 0. 1880, 225 pt. (Pod.): 'V. Mitth. Orn. Ver. Wien 1884, 124 pt. — Halcyon cinnamomina Finsch, Ibis 

 1881. 112, pt. — Halcyon mediocris Sharpe. Cat. B. 1892 XVII pt. ( Ponape: subtus cinnamomina) (type examined). 



I'otKIJtc: Caroline Is. Kuhnn/. Finsch'. 



\ 



60.* Halcyon cinnamomina. 



Halcyon cinnamominus Sws. Zool. Illustr. 1821 II, pi. 67 (type examined) (New Zealand!); I'ig. et 

 Horsf. Tr. L. Soc. 1827 XV, 206; Lesson, Man. d'Orn. 1828, 91; Z(«//e/-.' Essay N. Zeal. Orn.; id. Tr. N. Zeal. 

 Inst. I 206: Finsch. J. f. 0. 1867, 318: 1870, 247; 1872, 272; Potts, Tr. N. Z. Inst. Ill 69: Finsch. J. Mus. 

 Ciodef. XII, 20 part. — „Alcedo ruficeps Cui\'\ Dumont. Diet. Se. Nat. 1823 XXIX, 273 (Mariannes); Fucheran. 

 Rev. Zool. 1853, 387 (M.); Ihrtl. J. f. 0. 1855, 423. - Dacelo ruficeps Lesson, Tr. d'Orn. 1831, 247 (M.). — 

 Halcyon cinnamomina drai/. Gen. B. I 79; id. Voy. Exebus and Terror, B. 1846, 3; id. B. Trop. Is. 1859, 5 

 (Mariannes-tantuni): sharpe . Mon. Alced. 1871, 213 pi. 80. pt. (M.); Oustalet. Le Nat. 1889, 260 (M.). — 

 Todiramphus cinnamominus Up. Consp. 1850 I, 157 pt; Cms. Cat. Hale. Phil. Mus. 1852, 12 (M.) ; id. U. S. 

 Exp. 1858, 220. — Dacelo cinnamomina KUtl. Keise. II, 131; Schl. Mus. P. B. Alced. 1863. 89 (M.); id. 

 Yog. Ned. Ind. 28. 29; id. Revue Alced. 1874, 29 (M.). — Halcyon ruficeps Gray. H. L. 1869 I, 93. — 

 Sauropatis cinnamomina Cab. et Heine, Mus. Uein. II 159. pt. ; Salvad. Orn. Pap. 1880 I, 481 pt. 



Marianne Is. ,Marche;: Guam (Quoy et Oaim., Kittl.'. 



Dr. Sliarpe's new H. ruf'igularis — locality unknown (Cat. B. 1892 XVII) — may perhaps 

 come from one of the islands of western Polynesia. 



There has been much uncertainty with regard to the true habitat of H. cinnamomina Sws., 

 on account of the erroneous statement that the type came from New Zealand (Swain son 1. c), and of the 

 numerous other wrong localities (New Guinea. New Caledonia etc.) which have been added. There can. 

 however, be no doubt that the species belongs to the Marianne Islands, to which group its range is probably 

 confined. Here, on the island of Guam, it was obtained by Quoy and Gaimard (Dumont, Diet. So. Nat. 

 1823 XXIX, 273), and. later, on the same island byv.Kittlitz (Eeise, 11, 131). Quite recently the Paris 

 Museum has received specimens from these islands from M. Marehc (cf Oustalet, Le Nat. 1889, 260). 



On the Pelew Islands occurs a totally different species which has commonly been spoken of as 

 H. cinnamomina or H. reichenbachii, but which becomes nameless on these names being restored to the 

 species to which they belong. 1 have, therefore, called it 11. pelewensis. Only the crown of the head of 

 this species is cinnanion, the whole underside of body white. — In the Marianne Islands and on Ponape 

 specimens both with white and cinnamon undersides are found. The typical H. cinnamomina Sws. has 

 the whole under surface uniform deep cinnamon red, and Kittlitz, who seems first to have noted the 

 l)resence of white-breasted specimens in the Mariannes (i. e. Guam), remarks that such are the females of the 

 cinnamon ones (Reise, II, 132). This view is strongly maintained by Dr. Finsch (J. Mus. Godef. XII, 20; 

 J. f <). 1880, 285; Ibis, 1881, 112), yet I am doubtful about its correctness, inasmuch as out of four white- 

 breasted specimens — the only ones that I have seen in which the sex was marked — two were males. 



It has also been suggested that the cinnamon birds are the young of the white-breasted ones, and 

 this view is, I believe, held by Dr. R. B. Sharpe, who unites the two species in his recent Catalogue of 

 the Alcedinidae under the title H. mediocris. That this opinion is not tenable must. I think, be inferred 

 from two young specimens in the Hamburg Museum; one of H. pelewensis, which species does not differ 

 in plumage from the white-breasted form of Ponape, and the other a young one of the cinnamon form of 

 Ponape. These specimens are entirely different, and resemble the parent forms. 



H. pelewensis, ju v. Crown of head dark cinnamon with many green feathers intermixed: collar. 

 below circlet of greenish black round head, white, slightly washed with cinnamon; all under parts from 

 chin downwards impure white with slight bars of brown on breast: wing-coverts tipped with 

 cinnamon; bill, 41 mm or 1.35 in. (in adult, 34 mm or 1.6 in.). 



H. medi o oris , j uv. (cinnamon species of Ponape). Crown of head very dark cinnamon red 

 with dark centres to a few feathers: collar dark cinnamon: all under parts cinnamon, darkest 

 on breast and palest on throat: wing-coverts tipped with cinnamon; bill, 28 mm or 1.1 in. (in 

 adult, 39 mm or 1.55 in.). 



