DACELO PULCHELLA. 



Ord. IP? Les Passereaxix Cuvier. 2"^" Division. Les Syndactyles. 



Ord. VII"^ Alciones, Temm'mck. 



Ord. II. Pic^, Ijhin. Syst. Sect. III. Pedibvis gressoriis. 



Ord. II. Ambulatores, IlJiger. Fam. 6. Angulirosti-es. 



DACELO, Leach, TemmincJc. 



Char. Gen. — Rostrum mediocre, poiTectum, validum, erassum, tetragono-attenu- 

 atum, subdepressum. Maxilla lateribus planis, dilatatis, versus apicem deflexa 

 utrinque profunde emarginata, ipsa extremitate truncata excisa, culmine rotun- 

 dato obsolete, tomiis acutis. Mandibula basi magis depressa, attenuata, acumi- 

 nata gonyde subascendente. Nares basales, laterales, parte dimidia plumis 

 obtectse, rima ovatiuscula patentes. Pedes breves, congi-ui gressorii. Digiti 

 antici externi coadunati apice discreti internus breviusculus. 



Dacelo supra thalassino atro alboque fasciata, capita badio saturate, vertice occipiteque 

 azureis, gula juguloque albidis, abdomine ferrugineo diluto. 



Tenghe-watu, JaA^anis. 



Dacelo pulcheUa, Horsf. Syst. Arrangement of Birds from Java, Linn. Trans. 

 Fol.XllI.p. 175. 



Although this bird has the habit and appearance of a King's-fisher, its bill 

 presents several strongly marked peculiarities distinct from the King's-fishers in 

 general, but agreeing with the gigantic species peculiar to New Holland, which is 

 distinguished by the name of " Laughing Jack-ass." The pecuUarities of the latter, 

 as far as regards the bill, induced Dr. Leach to separate it from the King's-fishers 

 into a genus denominated Dacelo, which has been adopted by the celebrated M. Tem- 

 minck, in his " Analyse du Systeme General d'Ornithologie," prefixed to the Second 

 Edition of his Manuel. In comparing our bird with the Gigantic King's-fisher, I 

 have observed, besides an agreement in the form of the bill, other points of resem- 

 blance regarding the habit and general distribution of colours in both : these have 

 already been stated in the Description of a Collection of Birds from Java, contained 

 in Vol. XIII. of the Transactions of the Linnean Society, in the following remark : — 

 " In both the forehead and crown are regularly circumscribed by the lateral parts of 



