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Show 588 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE GENUS CEYX. [Nov. 26, (1) those species having the head and rump lilac-rufous, and (2) those of which the heads are black, spotted or banded with blue. The latter section may again be divided into species which have the beak red, and those which have it black. The following synoptic table will, I think, satisfactorily set forth the distinctive characters of each species :- A. Capite et uropygio lilacinis : rostro coralline a. Macula ad latera colli crerulea nulla. a'. Scapularibus lilacino-rufis 1. C. rufidorsa. b'. Scapularibus nigris cseruleo lavatis 2. C. dillwynni. b. Macula ad latera colli caerulea. a'. Major: capite lilacino obscuriore maculato : interscapulio et scapularibus rufis : pectore pulchre violaceo lavato 3. C. melanura. b'. Minor: interscapulio et scapularibus nigris cyaneo maculatis: subtus flava 4. C. tridactyla. B. Capite nigro, crcruleo aut cyaneo maculato: dorso postico et uropygio cyaneis, ultramarinis, aut ar-genteo- ca?ru!eis. a. Eostro coralline a', Rostro breviore: genis et regione parotica nigris: dorso postico et uropygio argenteo-cseruleis 5. C. cajeli. b'. Rostro longiore: genis et regione parotica cyaneo aut cseruleo maculatis : dorso postico et uropygio cyaneis aut ultramarinis. a". Scapularibus nigris: dorso postico et uropygio laete cyaneis 6. C. wallacii. b". Scapularibus cceruleo lavatis: dorso postico ultramarino; uropygio cy-anescente. a'". Major: rostro robustiore: m a culis loralibus majoribus: capitis summi maculis et interscapulio cserulescentioribus... 7. C. lepida. b'". Minor: subtus intense aurantia: uropygio laete argentescente.. 8. C. uropygialis. b. Rostro nigro: capite cyaneo fasciato. a'. Major: pectore et abdomine intense rufis ... 9. C. philippinensis. V. Minor: pectore et abdomine flavis: gula alba 10. C. solitaria. There are in the Indian Region two rufous-headed species of Ceyx, one of which has the whole back lilac-rufous, while the other has the middle of the back and scapularies black washed with blue ; I propose to call them, for the sake of illustration, the rufous-backed and the blue-backed species respectively. These two birds are sufficiently distinct, but nevertheless they were placed together by all the old writers as being sexes or varieties of one species. The first description and figure of these birds we find in an old Dutch work, by Vosmaer, printed at Amsterdam in 1768. The Zoological Society have just acquired for their library a'copy of this rare work, and we find therein the following paper : - " Beschryving van twee zeer fraaie, kortstaartige oost-Indische Ys-vogeltjes," accompanied by a full description and a coloured plate. The upper figure in this plate represents the blue-backed, and the lower figure the red-backed species. |
