THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
podotheca of Ceyx, The Dacelonine birds have the tarsus roughly scutel- 
late, the toes especially so. 
Alcedo smyrnensis (Linne) is a larger bird with a long deep all red bill, 
not so broad for same length as in Hakyonopa, more keeled and compressed. 
The tail is long, not much graduated, with the feet large, the tarsus very 
short. The wing has the first primary about equal to the secondaries and 
less than the ninth primary, the four next almost equal, the second slightly 
shorter, sometimes the third, sometimes the fourth appearing longest. The 
coloration appears fixed, the immature and female being the same as the 
male, but duller. The head is deep red-brown, as the whole of the underparts, 
save throat and upper breast. The rest of the upper-surface greenish-blue, 
the primaries brown and a shoulder-patch of black excepted. There 
is a closely alhed species, gulariSy which has the white below restricted 
to the throat, and the black wing patch more extensive. 
A very different looking bird is the very rare cyaneiventris Vieillot 
of Java. The head in the adult is black, succeeded by a deep red-brown 
collar. The scapulars are purple-blue, the secondary stripe greenish-blue, 
as is the tail : the black shoulder-patch is present. Underneath the 
throat is deep red-brown, and the rest of the under-surface purple-blue. 
The wing-formula agreed with that of smyrnensis, and fortunately imma- 
ture were available which showed the nestling to have a dark reddish- 
brown head, a white throat and dark reddish-brown under-surface, 
proving absolutely this species to be a further evolution from the smyrnensis 
stock, and though apparently so differently coloured truly congeneric. This 
group was called Entomohia by Cabanis and Heine, that name being 
proposed for Entomothera as used by Reichenbach but not Entomoihera of 
Horsfield. I note, however, that Entomohia is preoccupied by A. G. Costa, 
1840, so that a new name is necessary for this well-marked genus. I herewith 
propose Plesialcyon gen. nov. and designate Alcedo smyrnensis Linne 
as type. 
Halcyon hadia Verreaux is a pecuharly puzzfing species as we have no 
clue to its origin. It has peculiar coloration, being red-brown above and 
white below, the back is turquoise-blue and there is a greenish-blue 
secondary-patch, the colour of the tail. The immature is similar, but 
shows dark fringes to the feathers of the chest. The wing-formula is not 
abnormal : the first primary is equal to the secondaries, shorter than 
the ninth primary ; the third, fourth and fifth are longest and subequal, 
the third probably the longest, the second longer than the sixth. The 
bill is all red, short and broad, more conical in shape than other 
members of the group. The tarsus is also proportionately shorter. I 
