274 
Birds of Celebes: Alcedinidae. 
genus Alcyone. Observations on the habits of Ceyx are scanty; they were still 
scantier at the date of appearance of the ‘Monograph , and our leading Alce- 
dinist was induced to conclude that Ceyx differed more widely from the Alce- 
dininue than now appears to be the case. Alcyone is a fish-eater and partakes 
of the characteristics of true Alcedo\ . . . Ceijoo, on the other hand, is a forest- 
loving genus, living away from the water, feeding on insects, and bearing affinity 
towards Halcyon” (ib. p. VIII). Notes that have since appeared in “Stray Fea- 
thers” and elsewhere tend to show that, while Cey;v avoids hroader waters, it 
is generally to be found by small streams — sometime, indeed, dried up ones 
— in deep forest or jungle. Legge (B. Ceylon, 304) says Ceyx tridactylus sub- 
sists on diminutive fish and small aqueous insects; a writer in Hume’s “Nests 
and Eggs of Indian Birds” (Oates ed. Ill, 14) says: “as far as I have been able 
to ascertain, it is entirely a fish-eater, though it nray also devour water-insects, 
small prawns, etc. I have never seen any remains of insects in its stomach . 
Other observers — De Bocarme, and Wallace — testify to the insectivorous 
and crustacivorous habits of species in Borneo and Java (Sharpe, p. 120) while 
Ceyx cajeli — and, therefore, probably its near ally C. ivallacei — was observed 
by Wallace to feed on water-insects and small fish dSharpe, p. 127). From 
this it appears certain that Ceya; must be set down as a semi-piscatorial bird, 
in habits a link between Alcedo and Halcyon. 
P’urther, in plumage the genus deyoo is a link between Alcedo and certain 
Daceloninae. Hr. Sharpe has called attention to the close resemblance borne 
by the female Ceyx cyanipectus [Ceyoc philippinensi^, Monogr. p. 113) to Alcedo 
mohiccana, and remarks that licsson erroneously referred CeycV solitarhis to Al- 
cedo menintiny. Altogether, the plumage of the blue-backed section of Ceyv 
is distirrctly Alcedinine. The red-backed section on the other hand, especially 
Ceyx rufidorsus euerytkrus Sharpe), recalls — save for the absence of the 
blue rump — the pecrrliar plurrrage of the wide-spread Halcyon corotnanda 
[Callialcyon. Compare, Sharpe, pi. 41 with pi. 57). Thus Sharpe remarks: 
“the link towards Halcyon seems to be in the lilac-backed section of the genus 
Ceyx with the lilac -backed section of the germs Halcyon, where the tail is 
rather shorter than in most of the other menrhers of the genus” (Mon. p. XLVl . 
In plumage, as in habits, the two sections of the genus Ceyx appear to unite 
the Alcedininae and Daceloninae. 
'I’he question now suggests itself: did Ceyoc arise from Halcyon and Alcedo 
from Ceyoc, or was the reverse the order of development, or, as might also be 
thought possible, did both Alcedo and Halcyon take their origin frnrn Ceyoc, the 
one from the blire-, the other from the lilac-backed section of it? Perhaps 
Dr. Sharpe, followung up his conclusions of 1870, and strrdents of the King- 
fishers in the firture will he able to read as from a book the past history of 
the family, undoubtedly impressed upon their plumage and structure, but at 
present hidden from ornithological knowdedge. One small token we believe 
