54 



under the extraordinary name " Galhalcyrhynchus," by which, we presume, it was intended to 

 indicate a Jacamar with the bill of a Kingfisher. Shortly afterwards the species was figured by 

 the same author in his ' Iconographie Ornithologique,' and the name, to which, we may well 

 suppose, some objections had, not unnaturally, been raised, was altered into ^'■Jacamaralcyonides'' ! 

 Of these two barbarisms I prefer the first, as not only prior in date, but also shorter by three 

 syllables. The only question is whether we are not justified in following Dr. Cabanis's proposal 

 to reject both of them in favour of his term Cauecias. 



M. Des Murs gives the locality of his original specimens of this bird as Bogota. It is quite 

 possible that Galhalcyrhynchus may come occasionally within the grasp of the Bogota bird- 

 hunters, though I have never seen examples of it in the numerous series of birds' skins which I 

 have examined from that locality. But the more recent explorers of the Upper Amazons and its 

 tributaries have met with this singular form in considerable abundance, and have supplied our 

 collections with excellent specimens. MM. Castelnau and Deville brought examples to Paris 

 obtained during their descent of the Ucayali. Mr. Edward Bartlett met with it on the same 

 stream in 1865 and the following years, and has kindly favoured me with the following notes on 

 its habits : — " This Kingfisher-like bird I always found in the dense swampy forests on the borders 

 of the rivers, sitting at the end of a dead broken bough of a tree, about ten or twelve feet from 

 the ground, and watching for insects like the Kingfisher watches for fishes. They dart off after 

 their prey, and either return to the same bough or to a similar position close by. Although I 

 obtained this peculiar bird at Sarayacu, on the Upper Ucayali, and on the Lower Ucayali, and 

 again at Yurimaguas, it was not common in any place. In fact I obtained but few specimens, 

 although I saw many ; but they were extremely shy and difficult to get at. I could not learn 

 any thing respecting its nests or eggs. The iris, the naked skin round the eye, and the legs are 

 coral-red in life." 



From the main stream of the Amazons we have likewise received many examples of this 

 Jacamar of late years. Mr. Hauxwell has transmitted skins from Pebas, prepared with the 

 usual care bestowed upon his collections ; and Mr. H. Whitely obtained several specimens of it 

 during his recent stay at Yquitos, higher up the river. This part of Upper Amazonia may 

 therefore be pronounced to be the authentic patria of Galhalcyrkynclius. 



The plumage of this species is generally of a nearly uniform dark maroon or chestnut- 

 brown above and below. The wing- and tail-feathers are black, glossed externally, except on the 

 apical halves of the primaries, with dark bronzy green. The feathers on the front and top of 

 the head are constricted into narrow filaments, and are also of a black colour with a slight 

 bronzy tinge ; and the chin between the rami of the lower mandible is nearly black. The under 

 wing-coverts and bend of the wing are of the same chestnut as the general plumage. The 

 spaces round the eye and lores are naked, the lores being divided from the base of the bill by a 

 narrow line of short bristly feathers, which project forwards. In the male a large white patch 

 occupies the ear-coverts and sides of the head behind the eyes. This patch is absent in the 

 female, in which these parts are of the same chestnut colour as the rest of the body. The bill 

 and feet are white, the bill being more or less stained towards the base with earthy brown, and 

 the claws hazel. 



