224 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



the Asiatic Society of Bengal, XY, p. 11, we find a further description 

 of apparently the same species : 



" Todhximphus varius ; Halcyon varia, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 101. 

 What I take to be the adult male (and perhaps the adult of either 

 sex), of this species, is a beautiful bird, the coloring of which serves 

 to connect TocUrampJius (as exemplified by T. coUaris and T. sacer), 

 with Halcyon atricapiUus [v. alhiventer, of Scopoli, a name too inappro- 

 priate to be retained), but the beak is strictly that of Todiramplius. 



" Length, about nine inches, or nearly so ; of wing, four inches, and 

 tail, two and three-eighths ; bill to forehead (in rather the larger of 

 two specimens), an inch and three-fourths, and to the gape two and 

 one-fourth inches ; tarsus, five-eighths of an inch. Cap green, rufescent 

 on forehead, and margined posteriorly with verditer ; a broad black 

 stripe commences at the lores, and meets its opposite behind ; above 

 this is a slight rufous supercilium, and below it a broad rufous streak, 

 continued to the nape, and comprising the lower ear-coverts ; below 

 this again, is a very large purplish-blue moustache, commencing at the 

 base of the lower mandible ; the nape and breast are brilliant ferru- 

 ginous, paling on the throat and belly ; and the mantle, wings, and 

 tail, are deep purplish-blue, each feather touched with ultramarine 

 blue on the wings, while the rump and upper tail-coverts are vivid 

 verditer; bordering the ferruginous of the nape, is a band of deep 

 black. Bill dusky above, the rest apparently bright yellow, and legs 

 probably coral red. From Malacca." 



From the similarity of these descriptions, and the identity of the 

 localities given, it is very probable that the same species is alluded to, 

 but we consider it as quite evident that it does not belong to the genus 

 Todlntmijhns, as regarded by any ornithologist. 



This bird undoubtedly belongs to that group of the genus Halcyon, 

 which embraces H. concreta (Temm.), H. Lindsayi (Vigors), H. mo- 

 naclio., Bonap., and others, and the species is very probably Halcyon 

 concreta, Temminck, described and figured by that celebrated natu- 

 ralist in Planches Coloriees, IV, Livraison 58, PI. CCCXLVI, under 

 the name iJacelo concreta. Whether the reader can coincide in this 

 opinion or not, he can readily determine by comparing the description 

 either by Eyton or Blytli, with the plate of Temminck, above cited, 

 with or without specimens, especially that by Blyth, inserted in this 

 article. 



