HALCYON SACRA, Latham. 

 Sacred King-fisher. 



PLATES XCVI. & XCVII. 



H. pileo corporeque supra ccerulea viridi, pileo taenia nigra cireumdato ; torque 

 nuchali, pectore abdomineque albidis vel ochraceis, gula alba, taenia ante 

 oculis ochracea. 



Juniores coloribus obscurioribus, torque nuchali, pectore abdomineque, fasciis 

 nigris notatis ; fronte scapularibusque apicibus plumarum ochraceis. 



Alcedo sacra, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. iv. p. 25. ; Plate 61. represents a bird in young plu- 

 mage, and in a state identical with our plate 97- — Gmel. Linn, edit 13. vol. i. p. 453- 



Alcedo collaris, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. iv. p. 27- 



The Sacred Kings-fisher, Phill. Bot. Bay, p. 156; plate represents young bird identical 

 with our plate 97. 



Halcyon collaris, Swainson, Zool. Illust. pi. 27- — Vig. Sf Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xv. 

 p. 206. 



Halcyon sanctus, Vig. § Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xv. p. 206. 



We are induced to give Plates of the adult and young states of this 

 species, from the alliance of the descriptions of some species, which several 

 ornithologists have thought to be distinct, but in which we cannot agree. 

 An inspection of our synonyms will at once shew the opinion we have, and 

 according to these views, the species will hold a geographical distribution 

 through the Indian Islands, New Holland, and the Islands of the South 

 Seas. Our Illustrations are confined to the New Holland form, and we 

 would refer to an excellent plate in Mr Swainson's Zoological Illustra- 

 tions, under the title of Halcyon collaris, as an example of what we would 

 consider the state most frequently met with in the Indian Islands. The 

 chief difference seems to be the purer colour of the nuchal collar, and un- 

 der parts, in the Indian specimens ; in those from New Holland, these parts 

 have generally an ochraceous tinge, and more particularly on the belly and 

 vent, where the colour in some even approaches to a pale yellowish-red. 

 The different varieties mentioned by Gmelin and Latham seem to be 



