598 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE GENUS CEYX. [NoV. 26, 



Ceyx meninting. Lesson, Voy. Coq. i. p. 691 (1826); id. Traite 

 d'Orn. p. 241 (1831). 



C. rostro nigro : capite cyaneo fasciato : omnino minor : pectore 

 et abdomine Jlavidis : gula alba. 



Hab. in Nova Guinea et in insiilis adjacentibus. 



Head and nape black, banded with bright ultramarine ; back and 

 scapularies rich ultramarine ; cheeks and wing-coverts black, spotted 

 with bright ultramarine ; wing-feathers blackish, the inner web 

 fuscous from the base, the secondaries narrowly edged with blue ; 

 tail black, edged with blue ; throat white ; a spot in front of the eye 

 and a longitudinal patch of feathers on the sides of the neck yel- 

 lowish white ; entire under surface light orange ; bill entirely 

 black; feet orange. Total length 5 inches, of bill from front 1"3, 

 from gape r6, wing 2-1, tail 0"8, tarsus 0"2, middle toe 0*4, hind 

 toe 0-2. 



Hab. New Guinea {Wallace), Aru Islands {Wallace), Ceram 

 {Mus. Lug d.), My sol {Wallace). 



The only evidence of the appearance of this species in Ceram is 

 an example in the Leyden Museum, said to have come from that 

 island. Mr. Wallace, whose personal acquaintance with the orni- 

 thology of the Moluccas renders him the best autliority on the 

 subject, is inclined to doubt the occurrence of the bird in that 

 locality. 



I append a few notes on the geographical distribution of the genus 

 Cey.v. It will be seen by the table at the end of the present -paper 

 that representatives of the genus are found in both the Indian and 

 Australian regions. The four rufous-backed species, however, are 

 almost entirely confined to the former, while the blue-backed species 

 are, on the other hand, with one exception, exclusively inhabitants of 

 the Australian region. In the Philippine Islands one species of each 

 section is met with. Ceyx tridactyla enjoys the most extended geo- 

 graphical range ; for it is found all over India, and extends down the 

 Malayan peninsula as far as the island of Java. At Malacca it meets 

 with Ceyx rufidorsa, which is distributed over the Indo-Malayan 

 Islands and extends a little way into the Austro-Malayan subregion, 

 being found in Lombock, Sumbawa, and Flores. This species is also 

 found in Borneo, and in Labuan the new species Ceyx dillwynni is 

 met with. As far as we know, the latter bird is exclusively confined 

 to this island. In the Philippines we find Ceyx melanura. This bird 

 is certainly the link connecting the two sections together, as the lilac 

 spots on the head exhibit a tendency towards the blue-backed species 

 of the genus. With the exception of C. philippinensis, all the other 

 blue-backed species are confined to the Australian region. Ceyx 

 wallacii is apparently confined to the Sula Islands, and Ceyx cajeli 

 to Bouru. C. uropygialis may be said to be confined to Batcliian, 

 Gilolo, and Ternate, though I hear that in the Leyden Museum there 

 are specimens of a Ceyx from Morotai, which may ultimately prove to 

 be of this species. Ceyx lepida seems to be most plentiful in Ceram 

 and Amboyna, but is also found in New Guinea, though apparently 



