﻿CLASSIFICATION. 



ix 



d'. Dorso seneo-viridi. 

 a". Gula alba. 



a'". Major : alis extus immaculatis 9. amazonia. 



b 1 ". Media : rostro robustiore : maculis alaribus distinctioribus . . 10. cabanisi. 

 c'". Minor: rostro tenuiore : maculis alaribus minus distinctis . . 11. americana. 

 b". Gula rufescente. 



d"'. Major : abdomine toto crissoque intense castaneis, pectore 



concolori 12. inda. 



e'". Minor: abdomine medio crissoque pure albis*: pectore castaneo 13. super ciliosa. 



The genus Ceryle, in general appearance and shape of bill, would be more truly an Alcedi- 

 nine form than its near ally Pelargopsis, but for the curious difference in sex already noticed. 

 Although a casual observer would fail to perceive the reason why the Pied Kingfishers should 

 be placed in separate sections, the habits of the two kinds are different, in the first place ; but, 

 most of all, the ground-colour of the plumage is quite different, the pied appearance being 

 produced by an opposite combination of colours in each case. Then, again, in the first 

 section of the genus the sexes do not differ ; and here must be the connecting link with 

 Pelargopsis. I think that I did wrong in separating in the ' Monograph ' the Japanese form 

 of Ceryle guttata as a distinct species under Temminck's name C. lugubris ; it is nothing- 

 more than a slightly larger race. All the other species of the genus Ceryle have the sexes 

 different, the distinction being always exhibited in the form of a band. Thus in the Pied 

 Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) the male is characterized by a double band across the breast. The 

 next section of the genus has the male distinguished by a beautiful rufous band across the 

 chest, the belly being white, while in the female it is rufous. The third division consists of 

 those species with slaty-blue backs, of which there are three. In the large species where 

 the belly is red, the female takes the band across the chest, this character being absent in 

 the male ; whereas in the small species (C. alcyon), which has the belly white, the male is 

 distinguished by a broad pectoral band, while the female has two, the lower one being very 

 narrow. All the other species of Ceryle have bronzy-green backs; and in the first sub- 

 division, which contains three species, the belly is white, and the male is characterized by a 

 bright rufous pectoral band, this being replaced in the female by green and white feathers : 

 while in the last subdivision, which contains only two species, with rufous bellies, the male 

 is rufous underneath, while the female has a green pectoral band. 



The last genus of the subfamily Alcedinina? is Pelargopsis, which has generally been 

 included in Halcyon, but which from its habits is closely allied to Ceryle, to which genus in 

 form it also closely assimilates. 



Genus 5. Pelargopsis. 



Type. 



Pelargopsis, Gloger, Handb. d. Naturg. p. 338 (1812) ? 



Rhamphalcyon, Reich. Handb. Alccd. p. 16 (1851) P. yur 'uil. 



Hylcaon, Reich. Handb. Alccd. p. 18 (1851) P. melanurfii/nc/ia. 



* Owing to a stain on the plumage of the specimen figured, the belly has in some of the plates of C. wptniKcm 

 been represented as yellowish. 



