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Show 1885.] DURING THE VOYAGE OF THE YACHT 'MARCHESA.' 567 The head of this bird is black, barred with light blue, and the upper surface generally is very dull blue. It was shot on the seashore while engaged in hunting for small Crustacea, &c. Examples from the N. Australian region seem brighter than those from the Moluccas and Northern New Guinea. 20. CEYX LEPIDA, Temm. Ceyx lepida, Salvad. op. cit. vol. i. p. 417- a. 3 • Ternate. Iris brown; bill and tarsus bright scarlet. Length 16*3 centims. Wallace speaks of this beautiful species as being abundant in the Moluccas, but I do not think that I met with it half a dozen times during m y visit. 21. TANYSIPTERA MARGARETH*, Heine. Tanysiptera margarita, Salvad. op. cit. vol. i. p. 430. a. Batchian. Crown of head much maillee in appearance. Spatulae small, the blue of the shaft of the feather partially invading them. 22. TANYSIPTERA OBIENSIS, Salvad. Tanysiptera obiensis, Salvad. op. cit. vol. i. p. 433. a-h. 3. " Obi group." i. 2 • " Obi group." k-m. 8 • Obi Major. n. 3 juv. Obi Major. o-q. 2- Obi Major. r. 8 • Bisa Isand, Obi group. s. 2 • Bisa Island. Head brilliant ultramarine, uniform, but on the nape inclining to cobalt. Cheeks, ear-coverts, sides and back of neck, and upper part of back and scapulars deep indigo. Lesser wing-coverts bright ultramarine; quills brownish black, the inner webs white at the base ; lower portion of back and tail-coverts pure white, the latter in some examples tipped with dark blue ; rectrices white, margined with blue on the outer web; the median pair very long, dark ultramarine, often marked irregularly with white on the inner webs; spatulae white, sometimes slightly bordered on the outer web with blue. Entire under surface creamy white. Bill scarlet; iris brown ; feet yellowish green. Length in full plumage about 40*0 centims. or even longer; middle rectrices 190-23*0 centims.; wing 10*9- 11*4 centims.; bill from gape 5*0 centims. The immature bird has the entire under surface rufous, each feather being black at the base and edges, giving a scaly appearance. The upper tail-coverts are tawny white, deeply bordered with black. The wing-coverts are bordered with rufous. The tail-feathers are bluish black above, greyish black below ; the median pair, projecting about an inch beyond the others, are entirely bluish black including the spatula, which has only a small central patch of white. |
