1868.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE GENUS CEYX. 589 



The next mention we find made of these birds is by Pallas in 

 1 769, one year after Vosmaer's description. In the 6th fasc. of his 

 ' Spicilegia ' we find a description of Alcedo tridactyla, which de- 

 scription I here append. 



" Vertex ferrugineus, violaceo nitens ; frons ad latera dihitior. 

 Gence et tota subtus avis e croceo lactei coloris ; prceter 

 gulam prorsns albam. Temporum macula lazurea, infraque 

 earn longitudinalis, alba. Interscapulium lazureum, alares 

 plumce tantum apicibus. Uropygiumferrugineo-violaceum. 



" Remiges ferrugineo nigricantes, interioruin qucedam margine 

 exterior e ferruginecB. Cauda brevis, rotundata, ferruginea. 



" Pedes albidi, ut rostrum, etc. Unguiculi albicantes. 



" Varietas, ut puto, fcemince, supra tota jucunde ferruginea, 

 alaribus quoque plumis ; remigumque, prceter extimis, margine. 

 Vertex, uropygium, extremaque aliquot plumarum dor solium vio- 

 laceo nitore perfusa. Pectus magis quam in altera ferrugineum, 

 abdomen albidius. Ccerulea temporum areola dejiciens.^' 



It will thus be seen that Pallas considers the red- backed bird to 

 be a variety of his Alcedo tridactyla. 



In 1771 we find that Linnaeus first makes mention of Alcedo 

 tridactyla ; but, as Dr. Pucheran clearly shows, Linnseus's descrip- 

 tion is merely a reproduction of Vosmaer's. The following is Lin- 

 nseus's description : — 



" A. brachyura, supra caudaque rufis, subtus fiava, pedibus tri- 



dactylis. 

 " Hab. in India orientali. 



" Altera avis supra tota rufa, etiam cauda ; ventre postico flavo. 

 " Altera dorso cceruleo, tota subtus Jiava, gula alba; gence fiavce ; 



remiges nigrce.^^ 



In 1783 Boddaert named the blue-backed species Alcedo rubra 

 from Buffon's PI. Enl. 77S. fig. 2, upon which also the Alcedo pur- 

 purea of Gmelin's ' Systema' (1788) was founded. In 1846 Mr. 

 Strickland received both birds from Malacca, and he at once saw that 

 they constituted distinct species. Applying the name tridactyla of 

 Pallas to the bhie-backed bird, he gave to the red-backed one the 

 appropriate name of rvfidorsa. 



To this decision Dr. Pucheran demurs ; and the following is the 

 argument of the learned doctor. He says that the first time Linnseus 

 makes mention of the name tridactyla is in the ' Mantissa,' and the 

 only work quoted by him is Vosmaer's ' Monographia.' Dr. Pu- 

 cheran had not the original edition of Vosmaer's book ; but he had 

 the French translation, and he proceeds to show (which is un- 

 doubtedly the case) that the description of Linnaeus is merely a 

 copy of that of Vosmaer's. 



The learned doctor then quotes Pallas's description, as given 

 above, and shows that his "varietas" is the same to all intents and 

 purposes as Mr. Strickland's Ceyx rufidorsa (P. Z. S. 1846, p. 99) ; 

 and there can be no doubt, as Mr. Strickland himself observes. 



