HALCYONIDiE. 



101 



Cauda mediocris; rectricibus 

 duodecira subsequalibus, 

 exteriore utrinque sub- 

 breviore. 



Pedes tetradactyli ; ungues 

 curvatio 



Tail moderately long, com- 

 posed of twelve nearly 

 equal feathers, the exterior 

 one on each side rather 

 shorter than the rest. 



Feet four-toed ; daws curved. 



Sp. 1. Da. gigantea. 



Alcedo gigantea. Shaw, v. viii.^i. 53. — Inhabits New Holland. 

 Sp. 2. Da. pulchella. Linn. Trans. (Horsf.) v. xiii. p. 175. — 



Temm. PL Col. 277. 

 Da. supra thalassino atro alboque Jrisciata ; capite fusco-hadio ; 



vertice azureo ; gida juguloque albidis ; abdomine ferrugineo- 



diluto. 

 Dacelo, above sea-green fasciated with dusky and white ; with the 



head of a chesnut -brown ; the vertex azure; the throat and 



jugulum whitish ; the abdomen dilute-ferruginous. 



Inhabits Java. Length eight inches : called 

 Tengke-watu. A most beautiful bird : it has the 

 forehead, the cheeks, the sides of the neck, and a 

 collar surrounding the nape, of a beautiful maroon 

 colour : the top of the head and the occiput are 

 adorned with long feathers, having decomposed webs ; 

 these feathers are brown at the base, a small white 

 spot is placed near the tip, and the tip itself is of a 

 brilliant azure-blue : the feathers of the back and the 

 scapulars are striped from their base nearly to their tips 

 with black and white, and the tips of all are of a very 

 line ultramarine : the wings are black, finely banded 

 with white, and tipped with azure : the tail is wedged, 

 and transversely striped ; the outer webs of the fea- 

 thers are marked with fine blue and black, and the 

 inner webs are black and white : the tail is black 

 beneath, with white bands : the fore part of the neck 



