198 



R-N I T H L G Y. 



" On the shores of the Bay of Islands, this bird is frequently to be 

 seen perched in the trees, and generally in the immediate vicinity of 

 the water. I did not observe it in the interior of the island. It ap- 

 pears to be solitary and nsually silent, though it occasionally uttered a 

 harsh note several times repeated. 



" Notwithstanding the fact that nearly related species previously 

 seen by us live habitually in the forests and subsist on land animals, 

 the New Zealand bird has entirely the habits of a kingfisher. I have 

 myself seen it dart into the water after fishes in the same manner." 



4. ToDiRAMPHUS RECURViROSTRis, Lafresiunje. 



Tod irampli us recurvirostrh, Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 134 (May). 

 Halvyon platijroslriit, GouLD, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1842, p. 72 (June). 

 Dacelo minima, Peale, Zool. U. S. Esp. Exp. Birds, p. 159 (1st edition, 1848).* 



Atlas, Ornithology, Plate XVII, figs. 1, 2. Male and Female. 



Of this, the smallest species of this group yet known to naturalists, 

 we have given figures of adults of both sexes, though well described by 

 the distinguished authors above cited. Several specimens, all of which 

 are from the Samoan Islands, are in the collection of the Expedition, 

 and are generally in excellent plumage and good condition. 



* "Crown, back, wings, and tail, cobalt blue; rump lighter; scapulars with a slight 

 tinge of green ; collar buff, margined with black, just above it a white nuchal spot, not 

 visible without raising the featliers, which have a white band near the end ; auriculars 

 black, tipped with blue, a pale buff spot over each nostril, which joins a narrow super- 

 ciliary line; throat white; breast, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, buff or pale cinna- 

 mon, darkest near the vent, and gradually fading into the white of the throat. Tail 

 slightly rounded, consisting of twelve feathers, dark lead-color on the under surface, 

 shafts white beneath, black above; wings rounded; primaries black, the outer edge blue, 

 third longest, first and fifth equal; under wing-coverts buff; all the plumage except that 

 of the throat, black near the skin ; bill much flattened and shaped like that of D. nulli- 

 torquis ; irides hazel ; feet bluish lead-color. 



•'Total length, seven and three-eighths inches; extent of wings, eleven and a half 

 inches; wings, from the carpal joint, three and a half inches; tarsi, half an inch; middle 

 toe including the nail, seven-tenths of an inch; nail, one-fourth of an inch, broad and 

 flattened to a sharp edge inside; hind toe, four-tenths of an inch; claw, two-tenths of 

 an inch; tail, two and three-tenths inches; bill, one and one-twentieth of an inch; to 

 the angle of the mouth, one and a half inches. Male." 



