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Show 1868.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE GENUS CEYX. 591 Now these figures of Reichenbach cannot be reconciled with any of the three rufous-headed species of Ceyx, viz. Ceyx tridactyla of Penang and the Indian peninsula, Ceyx rufidorsa of Malayana, and Ceyx melanura of the Philippines. Reichenbach's bird cannot be Ceyx rubra, because this species has the middle of the back black washed with blue, and has a conspicuous blue spot behind the ear. This spot is wanting in the Bornean bird, which also has the back rufous from beak to tail. Nor can his bird be intended for either of the other two species, as both of these have rufous scapularies. I therefore came to the conclusion that the Bornean Ceyx must be a distinct species; and I have had some correspondence on the subject with Dr. Salvadori of Turin, who is contemplating the publication of a paper on the genus. In the ' Natural History of Labuan,' by Messrs. Motley and Dillwyn, I found a curious corroboration of m y ideas on the subject; for there we read that a specimen of Ceyx tridactyla is " above, from the beak to the tail, rufous red," and has the " scapulars dusky black, tipped with rich blue." This description will not do for the Malaccan, while it answers exactly to Reichenbach's figures of the Bornean birds. I therefore wrote to Mr. Dillwyn to ask him to favour m e with a sight of the bird described by him as Ceyx tridactyla ; and he very kindly sent me the bird to examine. I immediately found all m y ideas as to its specific distinctness to be quite correct, and I therefore propose to name this beautiful bird CEYX DILLWYNNI, sp. n., in acknowledgment of that gentleman's kindness in enabling me thus to elucidate this difficult question. The new species has no blue spot at the side of the neck, and therefore cannot be confounded with Ceyx tridactyla or Ceyx melanura. From Ceyx rufidorsa it is at once distinguished by its slightly larger size, and by the scapularies, which are black washed with blue. Of the other section of the genus Ceyx (that is, of those of which the heads are black with bright blue spots) the first described were C. lepida and C. solitaria, which were figured by Temminck in the ' Planches Coloriees.' The type specimen of C. lepida, which is a young bird, is figured by me in the plate of the species in my ' Monograph of the Alcedinidae,' but the blue on the scapularies is not very well represented. I know, however/that the type specimen has this colour, as Mr. Keulemans made a careful examination of the specimen for me. In Bouru the very distinct species C. cajeli, Wall., is found, and in the Sula Islands the equally distinct species C. wallacii, Sharpe. The newly described Ceyx philippinensis of Gould, though closely allied to Alcyone cyanipectus, is a good species, as I have since found another specimen in the British Museum. I cannot satisfactorily make out the Ceyx uropygialis of Mr. Gray. I believe it to be distinct; but it is the most obscure species of the whole genus. It differs principally in its smaller size and brighter colouring of the rump. I have seen specimens from Gilolo, Batchian, and Ternate, from which latter island the type specimen |