HALCYONIDiE. 



105 



Sp. 16. Alcedo semitorquata. Sivaiti. Zool. Illust.pl. 151. 



Al. cceruleo-viridis , infra ochracea, capite cyaneo, lineis nigris 



transversis omato ; dorso nitide ccerideo j pectore , torque ccerii- 



leo-viridi interrupto insigni. 

 Bluish-green Kingsfisher, beneath buff-colour; with the head 



blue, with transverse black lines; back shining light blue; 



breast with an interrupted blue-green collar. 



Inhabits Southern Africa. Length eight inches 

 and a half: head blue, the crown crossed by dusky 

 black lines : occiput slightly crested : the sides of the 

 head deep and rich mazarine-blue : ears and sides of 

 the neck greenish-blue, the latter having a stripe of 

 white : the blue on the sides of the neck advances on 

 the breast in the shape of a half collar: wings and 

 scapulars bluish-green, with lighter spots on the tip of 

 each of the wing-coverts : down the back is a stripe of 

 vivid light blue : tail dark blue, edged with greenish, 

 the base black : the plumage beneath, from the chin 

 to the end of the throat, white ; changing on the breast 

 to pale fawn-colour, which deepens to ferruginous on 

 the body, under tail-coverts, and thighs : legs red : 

 between the beak and eye a dusky white line. 



GENUS LIII— TANYSYPTERA, Vigors. 



Hostnmi sub-breve, subcras- 

 surn, rectum, acutum. 



Nares o vales. 



Cauda gradata, rectricibus 

 duabus longissimis. 



Pedes zygodactyli ? 



Beak rather short, somewhat 

 thick, straight, acute. 



Nostrils oval. 



Tail quadrated, with two 

 very long feathers. 



Feet with the toes disposed in 



pairs 



Sp. 1. Ta. Dea. Linn. Trans. (Vigors?) v. xiv. 433. 

 Dea. Shaiv, v. viii. p. 73. — Inhabits the Moluccas. 



-Alcedo 



