THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
following year Gray designated the above-mentioned species as type. The 
invahd names already mentioned were continued. 
In 1860, Cabanis and Heine in the Mus. Hein.^ Theil. II., made a big 
clearance, proposing new names and separating new groups. They acted 
judiciously as a general rule, but in the determination of types they did not 
always accept the final designation of previous systematists. On grounds 
of purism they proposed Pagurothera for Chelicutia Reichenbach, and 
Carcmeutes for Lacedo Reichenbach. The two later names are, at present, 
absolute synonyms. They corrected Reichenbach’s misusage of Enfomothera 
by introducing Entomobia, of which A. fusca Boddaert must be regarded as 
the type. In a similar way they invented Sauromarptis for Choucalcyon 
Bonaparte 1854 not of Lesson 1831. They added Caridagrus for concretus 
Temminck alone, Astacophilus for lindsayi Vigors alone and Caridonax 
for fulgidus Gould alone. These are all necessary. They ignored Gray’s 
selection of pyrropygia and restricted Cyanalcyon to macleayiy introducing 
the new genus Sauropatis for sancta, chloris, pyrrhopygia, etc. 
In 1869 Gray admitted these groups as subgenera only of Halcyon 
under that genus name recognising. Halcyon, s. str., Chelicutia, Entomobia, 
Calialcyon, Hylcaon, Pelargopsis, Cyanalcyon, Sauropatis, Todiramphus, 
Caridagrus, Astacophilus, Actenoides, Lacedo, Caridonax and Syma. Though 
most of the Gray subgenera have been eonstantly since recognised as of 
generic value confusion was here shown when Sharpe treated this series. 
Thus Hylcaon and Pelargopsis were synonymised and placed in a distinct 
subfamily Alcedinince, Syma, Lacedo and Todiramphus generically separated 
and the remainder sank as absolute synonyms. Rectifications of nomen- 
clature have since been made but no real criticism of the grouping. 
In his Birds of Australia Gould included in the genus Halcyon the species 
sanctus, pyrrhopygia, sordidus, macleayi and fiavirostris. Immediately after- 
wards genus-spUtting became the vogue and therefore Gould, who was 
essentially a sphtter, whether of genera or species, followed suit and in his 
“ Handbook ” ranged the above species in three genera, Todirhamphus, 
Cyanalcyon and Syma ehminating Halcyon altogether. 
Under the first-mentioned genus name Gould explained : “ The members 
of this genus are more numerous and more widely dispersed than the Dacelce. 
The range of the various species extends from Asia, through the Indian Islands, 
to Australia ; but I believe no one of them has yet been found in Africa. In 
making this statement, I wish it to be understood I do not intend to say 
there are no Kingfishers in that country ; on the contrary, they are very 
numerous there, but not of this particular form. Some of them bear a very 
general resemblance to it, and one of these is the tjrpe of the genua Halcyon, 
% 
144 
