﻿Ixii 



LITERATURE. 



Bonaparte, C. L. Conspectus generum Avium. Royal 8vo. 1850 (p. 153). 



Halcyon melanops, Todiramphus forsteni, and Alcedo quadnbrachys are new species, 

 described for the first time under the MS. names bestowed on the specimens in the Leyden 

 Museum by Temminck. 



Todiramphus funebris is described for the first time under the MS. name bestowed by 

 Forsten on a specimen in the Leyden Museum. 



Halcyon lilacina is the name proposed for the small race of Ruddy Kingfisher. It is the 

 true H. coromanda (Lath, ex Sonn.). 



Halcyon schlegeli is a new species from Japan. It is the large race of //. coromanda 

 (=H. coromandeliana major, Schl.). 



Actenoides J/ombroni is the name proposed for Actenoides variegata of Hombron and 

 Jacquinot. 



The arrangement of the species under the various genera and subgenera is fairly open to 

 criticism ; but as the author amplifies his views in a more recent publication, we shall not 

 attempt many remarks on the present occasion. As regards the number of species admitted, 

 92 in all, 1 am prepared to admit all but 10, viz. : — 1. Halcyon striolata (= Halcyon pygmaja); 

 2. Halcyon cancrophaga, indeterminable ; 3. Halcyon fusca=H. smyrnensis ; 4. H. sclilcgeli— 

 H. lilacina; 5. Todirhamphus chlorocephala = T. collaris; 6. Todiramphus vanns= Halcyon 

 concreta; 7. Ceyx purpurea=Ceyx tridactyla; 8. Alcedo cwntlea, indeterminable; 9. A. 

 >intsioides=A. cristata; 10. A. nais=A. caruleocephala. 



So that we may fairly state that, in the year 1850, out of the number of Kingfishers 

 recognized at the present day, 82 were then known to science. 



Reichenbach, Dr. L. Handbuch der speciellen Ornithologie — Alcedineas. 8vo, with royal 

 8vo atlas. Dresden, 1851. 

 A compilation from the works of previous writers, from whose plates the figures accom- 

 panying the present ' Monograph ' have been derived. Many new genera are proposed, few 

 of which hold good, while some of the names are so ill-chosen as to be positively unaccept- 

 able even to stringent observers of the rule of priority of nomenclature. One hundred and 

 six species are enumerated, of which several are proposed as new ; but not one of them is 

 good. 



Alcedo pallasii is a new species from Eastern Europe. It is not distinguishable from 



A. ispida. 



Halcyon irrorata is the name proposed for Smith's II. senegaloides. 

 lihamjihahyon is a new genus. It is Pelargopsis of Gloger. 



I/ylcaon (!!) is a new genus for the reception of the Alcedo melanorhyncha of Temminck. 



Ceryle leu cornel a nura is a new species from Ceylon. I cannot see any distinction between 

 it and ordinary C. ntdis. 



Amazonis is a new genus formed for the reception of Ceryle inda and C. superciliosa. It 

 is not structurally different from true Ceryle. 



Monachalcyon is a new genus, of which the type is Dacelo gaudichaudi. Another species 



