24 MR. A. R. WALLACE ON THE BIRDS OF BOURU. [Jan. 13, 



buff, nearly white on the throat ; the feathers of the breast and 

 flanks with blackish lateral edges ; rump white, feathers black-edged, 

 the black increasing to the tail-coverts, the last of which have the 

 outer web black ; middle tail-feathers blue, with the bases irregularly 

 white-striped, and the spatulate ends white, with bluish margins ; 

 lateral tail-feathers white, with blue margins to the outer webs, and 

 irregular dusky markings on the inner webs. Bill orange-red ; feet 

 olive ; iris dark. 



Total length 14^ inches ; wing 4 inches. 



Hub. Bouru. 



Remarks.— 'Yhis, interesting addition to the genus Tanysiptera is 

 blacker on the upper surface than any of its alhes. It is also re- 

 markable for the buffy tint and black-edged feathers of the under 

 surface, — characters which in the other species are confined to the 

 young birds. My specimen is, however, in fine plumage and condi- 

 tion, and I have little doubt that these characters are distinctive of 

 the adult bird. 



Nine species of the genus have now been described ; and a careful 

 examination of the fine series of specimens in my collection having 

 convinced me that they can all be clearly characterized, I will add a 

 table of the species. 



Table of the Species o/ Tanysiptera. 



I. "With a white dorsal spot. Species. Habitats. 



1. Beneath cinnamon-red \. sylvia N. Austraha. 



2. Beneath white. 



A. Tail and upper tail-coverts blue-margined... 2. doris Morty Island. 



B. Tail and upper tail-coverts white 3. sabrina Kaioa Island. 



II. No dorsal spot. 



1. Rump red ^ 4. nympha New Guinea. 



2. Rump white. 



A. Ear-coverts and nape black. 



a. Outer tail-feathers black, blue-edged... 5. hydrocharis ... Am Island. 



b. Outer tail-feathers white, blue-edged... 6. acts Bouru. 



B. Ear-coverts and nape dark blue. 



a. Eyebrows and nape lighter blue than 



the crown, terminal tail-coverts black. 7. isis Batchian and Gill 



b. Head uniform blue, tail-coverts all white. 



a. Back blue-spotted 8. nais Amboyna, Ceram 



b. Back uniform 9. galatea New Guinea and 



Waigiou. 



In this table I have altogether left out the Linnaean Alcedo dea, 

 because it is possible we may yet obtain certain evidence as to which 

 species it was applied to. The figure in the ' Planches Enluminees' 

 and the careful description of Brisson agree best with T. sabrina, G. R. 

 Gray ; and I should have little hesitation in placing that name under 

 T. dea as a synonym, but that specimens may yet arrive from Ter- 

 nate — the locality given by the old authors. It is to be remarked, 

 however, that Kaioa Islands, where I obtained T. sabrina, is the 

 southernmost of a chain of islets extending up to Ternate, and no- 

 where more than eight or nine miles apart ; so that it is very impro- 

 bable there should be another species in that island. There can be 



