270 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON TWO NEW KINGFISHERS. [May 14, 



3. On Two New or little-known Kingfishers belonging to the 

 Genera Ceyx and Cittura. By R. B. Sharpe. 



(Plate XXVII.) 



1 have for the last three years devoted my leisure time to the 

 study of the Kingfishers, with the view of publishing a monograph of 

 this beautiful family, and I have great pleasure in announcing that 

 the first part of my work will shortly be before the public. Mr. A. R. 

 Wallace has most kindly lent me the whole of his collection of these 

 birds ; and it is among them that I have discovered the beautiful new 

 species of Cei/x described below. The researches of Mr. Wallace 

 have brought to light many new Kingfishers, some of which are 

 still unrepresented in European collections. As, however, not one of 

 them bears his name, I have very great pleasure in calling my new 

 bird 



Ceyx wallacii, sp. nov. 



C. lepida. Wall. P. Z. S. 1862, p. 338. 



C. affinis C. lepidse, sed dorso toto Icetissime cyaneo, scapularihus 

 nigris, et macula utrinque ad latera colli inteitse ru/a. 



Above black ; head and nape spotted with cobalt, more on the 

 latter, each feather having a central stripe of brigliter blue ; cheeks 

 and wing-coverts streaked with bright cobalt ; back very rich 

 shining cobalt, the upper tail-coverts slightly tinged with ultra- 

 marine ; scapularies black ; wing- and tail-feathers blackish ; throat 

 whitish ; a spot on each side of the base of the bill and the whole of 

 the under surface bright orange ; the characteristic spot on the sides 

 of the neck deep rufous ; a line at the base of the loral spot, also the 

 space between this spot and the eye, and a large patch of feathers 

 on the side of the upper part of the breast, deep black ; bill and feet 

 coral-red ; iris dark. 



Length of wing 2f inches; bill, from front, 1|. 



Hab. in iusulis dictis "Sula" maris Celebeusis (Wallace). 



This species is undoubtedly the most beautiful of the group to 

 which it belongs. Mr. Wallace himself was fully impressed with its 

 distinctness from C. lepida ; and it was only by accident that it was 

 inserted in his paper on the " Birds of the Sula Islands " (/. c.) as 

 the last-named bird. Its nearest ally is certainly C. lepida ; but it is 

 at once to be distinguished by the cobalt instead of ultramarine (or 

 rather violet) tinge of the blue on the head, cheeks, and back, as well 

 as by the totally black scapularies, which in C. lepida are washed 

 with bright violet. The patch of feathers on each side of the neck is 

 dark rufous, instead of white tinged with orange, as in C. lepida ; and 

 there are other minor differences. 



I am acquainted with the following species of the genus Ceyx, 

 specimens of all of which are now lying before me. 



1. Ceyx tridactyla (Linn.). Ex India et penins. Malayana. 





