BIRDS. 



Family— HALCYONID^. 



Halcyon saurophaga. Gould. 



Plate XIX. 



Halcyon saurophaga, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, July 25, 1843. 



Spec. char. Hale, capitc, collo, dor so superiore, et corpore subtiis albis, cceteris partibus 



saturate ccsruleis, dorso virescente. 



Head, neck, upper part of the back, and all the under surface white, with the exception of 

 the lores, which are black, and a narrow longitudinal mark immediately behind the 

 eye, which is deep blue ; the remainder of the upper surface, wings, and tail deep blue, 

 tinged with green on the back and scapularies ; bill black, with the basal portion of the 

 under mandible horn colour; tarsi and feet blackish-brown, with a tinge of purple. 



Total length, 10J inches ; bill, 2f ; wing, 4| ; tail, 3| ; tarsi, f. 



Inhab. New Guinea. 



This species is in every respect a typical Halcyon, and differs from every 

 other member of the genus yet discovered, particularly from that called Alcedo 

 leueocephala, by Latham, which specific term might be much more appropriately 

 applied to the present bird. One specimen only occurs in the collection, and that 

 was procured in New Guinea — a country whose natural productions are so little 

 known, that much new and interesting matter may be expected whenever its 

 forests are explored. 



In size the Halcyon saurophaga must be considered as one of the largest of 

 the genus yet described, being fully a third larger than the Halcyon collar is of 

 Java, and nearly equalling in dimensions the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) of Europe. 



The food of this species, like that of the other members of the genus in- 

 habiting Australia, consists of lizards and insects, to which in all probability 

 crabs and other crustaceans are added, whenever the bird visits situations where 

 they can be procured. 



The figure is rather more than half the natural size. 



