
os. ee 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF ORNITHOLOGY. 
ALCYONE CYANO-PECTUS, pz ta FREsN. 
Alecyone cincta of our Plate.—Ceyx cyano-pectus, dela Fresn., Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 33. 
Tus pretty little Three-toed Kingsfisher, was sent to us by Mr. 
Eyton for illustration, and the figure and name attached were drawn 
and printed off before we discovered it to be identical with the 
synonym of de la Fresnaye, who had already described it. Mr. 
Eyton’s specimen is marked as received from the Philippine Islands. 
Ceyx and Alcyone, the small Three-toed Kingfishers, are placed 
by Mr. Gray in separate sub-families, Halcyonine and A Icedinine. 
The distinctions seem to be, the broader and stronger bill of Ceyx, 
with their more uniform Daceline plumage, contrasted with the 
slender or more truly Alcedine form, slender straight bill, and blue 
colour of the plumage of Aleyone, We are scarcely satisfied with 
their separation. The species, whether of one or other, are mostly 
very closely allied, and require care to investigate and separate. 
A great proportion of them are spread over the Indian Archipelago, 
and numerous specimens are required to work out the variations 
they are subject to, and the geographical limits and range of each. 
Bill rather slender; upper mandible brown, lower tinted with 
orange-red ; above, the characteristic Alcedine spot before the eye 
and on the sides of the neck, pale sienna; crown, nape, lower jaw; 
and auriculars, wings and tail, deep bluish-black ; feathers of the 
crown, tipped with a bar of pale clear ultramarine, more indented 
on jaw and auriculars; those of the shoulders and scapulars with @ 
narrow spot or dash of same colour; centre of the back pale ultra- 
marine, rump and tail-covers, deeper ; below, throat and_ breast, 
centre of belly and yent, and under wing-covers, sienna, palest 0 
the chin ; lower part of the breast girt with a band of indigo 3 or 32 
broad ; the flanks meeting nearly in the centre of the belly, and 
under tail-coyers, same colour, in some positions tinted with ultra- 
marine; tarsi and feet yellowish-vermillion, 
: Entire length, 5.5; bill to forehead, i.i; to gape, i.9; of wing: 
2.4; tarsus, 3. 
82-11 
-_ 
