﻿The confusion which has existed respecting the present species is probably unparalleled 

 in the annals of Ornithological Science, and it will be seen by the list of synonyms 

 given above that since Latham's time the species has not been recognised except by 

 1 )r. Sclater (I.e.). This is the more curious, as the bird is by no means rare in Museums and 

 always comes from the locality "Otaheite" which was correctly indicated by Latham. In 

 the British Museum there is a good series, but the species having been erroneously identified 

 in the first instance as Halcyon sacra (Gm.), of course all conclusions drawn respecting the 

 allied species are erroneous also. Latham's description is so good, mentioning particularly 

 the flat bill, that I am at a loss to understand why, with the most ample material at his 

 disposal, Mr. G. R. Gray should have failed to correctly recognise the bird. But he is not 

 singular in this respect, for in most Museums the present species is called H. sacra. 



I have carefully avoided giving any synonymy which I cannot certify, and I have 

 restricted the identified localities to the " Society Islands" and the " Marquesas Islands," the 

 authority for the latter habitat being Professor Schlegel, who has specimens from those 

 islands in the Leiden Museum. That the bird occurs there is most probable, though Prof. 

 Schlegel does not give the name of the collector who obtained them. 



The young bird of Todirhamphus tutus is remarkable, and differs so conspicuously from 

 that of Todirhamphus veneratus that it is impossible to confound the two species. On the 

 other hand, I expect that further researches in Otaheite will discover the fact that the 

 present species when very old gets the head pure white, as in old Halcyon albicilla and 

 Halcyon sacra, but the flat bill will always distinguish it from these two species, and it is 

 also a much smaller bird. 



Mr. Wodehouse says, that in Huaheine this Kingfisher is called Otatare ; " builds its 

 nest in the mountains and is the terror of the little native girls, as he swoops down on 

 their little pet pullets." 



To Mr. Gould I am indebted for the loan of the specimens from which the figures and 

 descriptions have been taken. Both old and young birds are in his collection. 



