LAZULENA. 
liave been unable to associate it with either Halcyon or Chelicutia so 
here propose Ntttchera gen. nov. for this species alone. It may be that 
it is a peculiar evolution from the Chelicutia stock, and it might be a 
derivative from the ancestors of smyrnensis, but it decidedly differs at 
present from either. 
Another aberrant singleton is Alcedo pileata Boddaert. This large 
species has a black head, white nape collar, black shoulder-patch and 
black primaries. The secondary patch, scapulars, back and tail are purple- 
blue. The miderparts are white throat, succeeded by buffish-orange : 
sometimes the white extends on the chest which appears to be a sexual 
character : the immature agrees but black fringes are seen on the breast- 
feathers. The bill is long and red and shows obsoletely minute serra- 
tions on the edges. The wing-formula slightly differs, the first primary 
being longer than the secondaries and equal to the seventh primary : 
the third and fourth primaries are equal and longest, the second exceeding 
the fifth. In size this species agrees with smyrnensis and has been hitherto 
associated with it when groups have been utiHsed. The wing-formula, 
however, separates it and it is necessary to propose the new genus name 
Cecilia for this species alone. Its superficial upper resemblance to cyanei- 
ventris Vieillot appears coincidental : the latter species Oberholser placed 
in Entomothera with which it has no near relationship. 
A most interesting series is the one represented in the Catalogue of the Birds 
in the British Museum, under the names Halcyon cinnamominus, subsp. 
rufigularis, subsp. med^ocm, species reichenhachii and australasice. Judging from 
colour these are obviously closely related to Syma, differing in lacking 
the serrated edges to the mandibles. I would not class the latter item 
alone as of higher value than coloration and would attach the Syma group 
to these wherever they be placed. They certainly cannot be separated 
as in Sharpe’s classification, and I would only grant this ‘‘ Halcyon ” series 
a low value as against Syma. However, once more they show the higher 
value of coloration when contrasted with other structural features. Thus 
in addition to the serrated edges of the bill Syma has developed a more 
wedge-shaped tail. In the “ Halcyon ” series above noted two phases occur 
and both should be differentiated. Alcedo australasia Vieillot is a smaller bird 
with the tail little graduated : a long compressed bill and the wing-tip composed 
of four primaries much longer than the secondaries : the first primary is longer 
than the fourth, the second and third a little longer and subequal. Halcyon 
cinnamomina Swainson is a larger bird with similar tail, but bill broader, more 
depressed like that of Todiramphus : the secondaries are long and little exceeded 
by the primaries, the tip consisting of six or seven primaries, the first about 
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