1 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
the sexes differ little, and the wing-formula is rather constant. The 
coloration of Cyanalcyon separates this group, while the wing-formula and 
short depressed bill characterises Todiramphus. It is again peculiar that 
the type of Sauropatis sanctus should have the wing a little more pointed. 
Thus the first primary is very long, usually longer than the fourth and scarcely 
exceeded by the second and third, while the secondaries are very short. In 
the majority of the allied species, such as chloris, sordidus, sacer, and their 
subspecies and allies, the first primary is generally less than the fourth but 
longer than the fifth, while there is little difference in the length of the second, 
third and fourth primaries. 
The adult coloration is, generally, head blue-green ; a black eye-stripe, 
a white collar, white underneath, and greenish-blue above. The species 
differ in size, more or less brighter blue above and more or less buffy below. 
The female may have the feathers of the breast with dark tips, which is the 
immature plumage ; the coloration above also being duller, more brownish- 
green. The feet are small, the tail long with little graduation : the bill is 
blacldsh with white basal patch of lower mandible : there is a distinct 
tendency of the upper mandible upwards, while the culmen keel is more or 
less flattened. 
The bill may be longer and narrower or broader : when it becomes short, 
broad and depressed the genus Todiramphus is achieved. The Sauropatis 
series is characterised by the diastataxic condition of the wing. It does not 
appear to have been yet recorded whether Todiramphus or Sauropatis have the 
wing of this style, but I don’t think there should be any doubt from colour 
and structure. 
Halcyon saurophaga Gould is of this affinity, but its white head, large 
size, and huge biU indicate that it deserves subgeneric separation, and I 
therefore introduce for it and its allies the new subgeneric name Letjcalcyon. 
The wing-formula is not very dissimilar, the first primary being longer than 
the fifth, the second longer than the fourth, the third longest. The long 
strong bill is almost half the length of the wing, a ratio not approached in any 
of the smaller species. 
An anomalous species is Todiramphus funehris Bonaparte, later classed 
by the same worker in Cyanalcyon, by Gray in Halcyon, later in his subgenus 
Sauropatis, by Schlegel in Dacelo, and then in Sauropatis genericaUy by 
Salvadori. It agrees generally in style of coloration with Sauropatis, but 
the upper coloration is dark brown, the head black. It may have sprung 
from the Sauropatis stock, bu|: differs so decidedly in coloration that I separate 
it genericaUy as a new genus Melanalcyon. The bird is similar structuraUy, 
but the first primary, though longer than the secondaries, is exceeded by the 
156 
