37 | Vol. xxxix. 
It seems, however, that not only are there further races but 
that the nomenclature itself needs revision. 
In 1821 Swainson described a bird from ‘some part 
of India” as Alcedo astatica and gave a plate (Zool. Illus. 
Ist series, i. pl. 1.) which is a fair representation of some 
form of meninting, but the description of its habitat suffices 
to show that it is not meant for the Javan form, and the 
omission of the blue spots on the wing is not sufficient reason 
for assigning the-drawing to true meninting. In fact, in the 
letterpress Swainson mentions that whilst Horsfield obtained 
_his specimen from Java his own was obtained in India. 
It is, however, fortunate that the name asiatica can 
be employed for the Indian bird, as Walden’s name Jbeavani 
is a very unsatisfactory one. In the previous year (1873) 
Walden had described the South Andaman form under the 
name rufigastra (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) xii. p. 487) ; 
then in 1874 (ibid. xiv. p. 158) he mentions that the bird is 
found in Manbhum, but adds that it is the same as the 
South Andaman bird and that he proposes to do away with 
the unsatisfactory name of rufigastra and substitute for it 
beavani. But rufigastra is a perfectly good subspecies ; so 
beavani, of which no description is given, is really little more 
than a nomen nudum. . 
Asiatica is therefore the name applicable to the con- 
tinental Indian form, and as in 1821 it is more likely that 
the bird should have come from Bengal than from Belgaum, 
Travancore, or elsewhere, I designate Bengal as the type- 
locality. 
As regards subspecies it is necessary to recognize several, 
which are easily recognizable from one another. They are 
the following :— 
(1) Alcedo meninting meninting. 
Alcedo meninting Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 172 
(1821). 
Type-locality. Java. 
Blue of upper parts deep, and centre of back bright deep 
cobalt, scapulars well overlaid with deep blue ; spots on 
