﻿TANYSIPTERA RIEDELI. 



(RIEDEL'S KINGFISHER). 



Tanysiptera Riedeli . Verr. Nouv. Archiv. du Mus. Bullet. II, p. 21 t. 3 (1866) ; Gray, Handl. of 



B. I, p. 90 (1869); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 631. 



T. supra viridi-cyanea : subtus alba : scapularibus indicis : uropygio albo : ro«tro coralline) : pedibus 

 rubro-bruiineia. 



Hah. forsan in insula " Celebes" dicta. 



Head, neck, upper part of the back and wing-coverts greenish cobalt, the bases of the 

 feathers black; sides of the back, scapulars, some of the wing-coverts and quills indigo, 

 clearer on the edges of the feathers; the last-named shade being mingled with the blue on 

 the ear-coverts, as well as on the sides of the neck; the entire under surface from the chin 

 downwards, rump and tail, pure white ; the three lateral feathers narrowly bordered with 

 indigo on part of their outer webs; the two middle for a part of their length to within an 

 inch of their base being bordered with greenish blue, and the rest of the feathers of the 

 latter colour as far as the spatula which is white; the shaft is black excepting at the base 

 and near the apex; quills black with a part of their external webs very deep indigo; 

 under wing-coverts black; beak coral-red; tarsus reddish -brown; toes and nails brown. 



Hah. Celebes? {Riedel). 



The above description is translated from the original article by M. Jules Yerreaux 

 (/. c ), for I have never seen a specimen of the bird myself. The figure is taken from a 

 water-colour drawing of the type -specimen executed for me by M. Huet of Paris. 



The exact locality of T riedeli is unknown, and I am unwilling to give its habitat as 

 Celebes for certain, as no collector has ever yet met with a species of Tanysiptera in that 

 island. On first seeing the description of the bird I at once wrote to M. Riedel, asking 

 him to send me a specimen for the purposes of the present work, and in due time I received 

 an answer from him promising to do all he could for me to procure one, but up to the 

 present date I have not received any examples from him. 



T. Riedeli is evidently very nearly allied to T. Emilia from Raou, but has not the 

 white patch in the middle of the back. It will most likely be found eventually that the 

 present species is an inhabitant of one of the Moluccas, and had been brought to Celebes 

 by some native trader. 



