ON THE OSTEOLOGY AND SYSTEMATIC- 

 POSITION OF THE KINGFISHERS. 



{HAL CYONES.) 



R. W. SHUFELDT. 



By far one of the most useful contributions to the recent 

 literature of ornithology is the work entitled "A Hand- List of 

 the Genera and Species of Birds," by R. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 Three volumes have already been issued, while the fourth and 

 last one is now passing through the press. 



This work presents us with a hand-list of the species and sub- 

 species of the birds of the world brought fully up to date. The 

 " Systematic Index " is practically a classification of the class 

 Aves, and in fact is Sharpe's taxonomy of birds, and is there- 

 fore one of great value and worthy of our closest study. It 

 also takes into consideration the fossil forms of birds, and the 

 distribution of all forms. Among other Orders enumerated, 

 we find in Volume II of the "Hand-List" Order XXIX — 

 the Coraciiformes, which is subdivided into fourteen sub- 

 orders created to contain a great many different kinds, and very 

 differently affined, birds. These are as follows :— (I) Steator- 

 nithes, (II) Podargi, (III) Leptosomati, (IV) Coraciae, (V) Haley- 

 ones, (VI) Bucerotes, (VII) Upupae, (VIII) Meropes, (IX) 

 Momoti, (X) Todi, (XI) Caprimulgi, (XII) Cypseli, (XIII) 

 Trochili, and (XIV) Colii. These suborders are duly divided 

 into their families and ether minor divisions. There is no 

 intention of discussing in full this arrangement here, and the 



assigned the Halcyones or the kingfishers, the group which is 

 the subject of the present contribution. It is now more than 

 thirty years since Sharpe published his famous monograph on 



