336 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 
upper one not inclined. ~ Commissure perfec 1 a 
straight, Feet syndactyle, all the tarsal scales obsolete. 
Alcedo. (fig.290.e) Tail very short. Feet with three 
toes before, and one behind. Claws simple. Culmen of 
~ the bill sharp, carinated, and simple. Inner and hinder — 
toes of equal length. Inhabieg only the Old World. 
A. ispida. Selby, pl. 40.f.1. | Asiatica. Z, Ill. i. pl. 50. 
semitorquata. Z.I1.i.151. 
Ispida, Sw. Habit of Alcedo. Culmen obtuse, some- 
what flattened, and margined on each side by an in- 
dented groove. Tail lengthened, rounded. Inner toe 
much longer than the hinder. ° Claws either deeply 
notched, or cleft so as to present two acute unequal 
points. Chiefly the New World. 
I. alcyon. Edw. pl. 115. gigantea. West. Af. ii. 
bitorquata. West. Af. ii, torquata. PJ. En). 284. 
Tanysiptera, Vigors. Bill depressed. Tail cuneated: the 
two middle tail feathers much elongated, with their 
tips spatulate. India. 
| T. Dea. Vig. Pl. Enl. 116. | 
Alcyone*, Sw. Bill as in Alcedo; but the feet with 
only three toes. Australia. 
; A. Australis. Zool. Ill. i: pl. 26. 
LamprotTita, Sw. Plumage metallic green and gold. 
Bill very broad, dilated : the commissure and culmen 
curved ; the upper margins folding over the lower. 
Nostrils membranaceous ; the aperture round, pro- 
tected by feathers. Wings as in Galbula, but longer ; 
the third and fifth quills equal. 
L. platyryncha. Vieil. His. Nat. Jacamars. pl. 6. 
GausuLa, Linn.t Plumage metallic. Bill very long, 
perfectly straight, greatly compressed: the culmen 
sharp ; the tip not bent. Wings short. Tail length- 
ened, graduated. Toes in pairs, or with the hallux 
wanting. Nostrils with a few strong bristles. | 
* As this is the only group in ornithology wherein mythological names ¥ 
have been tolerated, I have ventured to continue the metaphorical connec- _ 
tion in this instance. 
+ I consider the three-toed species are the most typical, and thatthe 
others are aberrant, leading to Lamprotila. 
