OCR Text |
Show 1868.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE GENUS CEYX. 589 JThe next mention we find made of these birds is by Pallas in 1769, one year after Vosmaer's description. In the 6th fasc. of his ' Spicilegia' we find a description of Alcedo tridactyla, which description I here append. " Vertex ferrugineus, violaceo nitens ; frons ad latera dilutior. Genee et tota subtus avis e croceo lactei coloris; prceter gulam prorsus albam. Temporum macula lazurea, infraque earn longitudinalis, alba. Lnterscapulium lazureum, alares plumce tantum apicibus. Uropyyium ferrugineo-violaceum. " Remiges ferrugineo nigricantes, interiorum queedam margine exteriore ferrugineee. Cauda brevis, rotundata, ferruginea. " Pedes albidi, ut rostrum, etc. Unguiculi albicantes. " Varietas, ut puto, fceminee, supra tota jucunde ferruginea, alaribus quoque plumis ; remigumcpue, prceter extimis, margine. Vertex, uropygium, extremaque aliquot plumarum dor solium violaceo nitore perfusa. Pectus magis quam in altera ferrugineum, abdomen albidius. Ceerulea temporum areola deficiens." It will thus be seen that Pallas considers the red-backed bird to be a variety of his Alcedo tridactyla. In 1771 we find that Linnaeus first makes mention of Alcedo tridactyla ; but, as Dr. Pucheran clearly shows, Linnaeus's description is merely a reproduction of Vosmaer's. The following is Linnaeus's description :- " A. brachyura, supra caudaque rufis, subtus flava, pedibus tri-dactylis. " Hab. in India orientali. " Altera avis supra tota rufa, etiam cauda ; ventre postico flavo. "Altera dorso cceruleo, tota subtus flava, gula alba; genee flavee ; remiges nigra;." In 1783 Boddaert named the blue-backed species Alcedo rubra from Buffon's Pl. Enl. 778. fig. 2, upon which also the Alcedo purpurea of Gmelin's 'Systema' (1788) was founded. In 1846 Mr. Strickland received both birds from Malacca, and he at once saw that they constituted distinct species. Applying the name tridactyla of Pallas to the blue-backed bird, he gave to the red-backed one the appropriate name of rufidorsa. To this decision Dr. Pucheran demurs; and the following is the argument of the learned doctor. He says that the first time Linnaeus makes mention of the name tridactyla is in the ' Mantissa,' and the only work quoted by him is Vosmaer's ' Monographia.' Dr. Pucheran had not the original edition of Vosmaer's book ; but he had the French translation, and he proceeds to show (which is undoubtedly the case) that the description of Linnaeus is merely a copy of that of Vosmaer's. The learned doctor then quotes Pallas's description, as given above, and shows that his "varietas" is the same to all intents and purposes as M r . Strickland's Ceyx rufidorsa (P. Z. S. 1846, p. 99) ; and there can be no doubt, as Mr. Strickland himself observes, |