ALCEDO GRANDIS, Blyth.

Great Alcedo.

Aiceao grants, Blyth, Journ. of Asiat, Soc, Beng., vol. xiv. p. 190.—Id. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calc.,

p- 49.—Id. Ibis, 1865, pp. 30, 31; 1866, pp. 348, 363.—Gray, Hand-list of Birds, vol. i. p. 96—Sharpe,
Mon. of Alced., vol. . pl.

 

Tue recent discovery and examination of a second specimen of this extremely rare and fine species of Alcedo,
of which only a single example was previously known, enables us to fully confirm Mr. Blyth’s accuracy in
characterizing it as distinct from all its congeners ; indeed it now seems surprising that it could ever have
been thought identical with any one of them, and the only reason that can have given rise to such an
opinion must be that the type specimen, in the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, is very imperfect.
On reference to the accompanying Plate it will be seen that the /cedo grandis fully merits the specific
appellation assigned to it, inasmuch as it is not only the largest member of the genus to which it pertains,
but fully equals, if it does not excel, any of its generic allies in the brilliancy of its plumage. Its native
country is, undoubtedly, the little-trodden parts of the Nepaulese Terai, and probably, as believed by
Mr. Blyth, those portions of Sikhim and Bhootan that are of a similar character.

Of course it would be a mere surmise to say that the sexes are alike in colour; yet it is probable, nay,
almost certain, that they are so. Now that a second specimen has been obtained, and the country of which
the bird is a native has been ascertained, examples will doubtless ere long find their way into our collections,
and an account of its habits and economy be recorded by some one or more of the enterprising naturalists
who are now scouring the Asiatic continent for novelties. At this early period of our acquaintance with
the species my readers must excuse my copying what has been written respecting it by others, particularly
by Mr. Sharpe, the publication of whose Plate and description just precedes my own.

“This truly magnificent species,” says the last-mentioned author, “‘ has as yet only been met with in the
neighbourhood of Darjeeling. It was first described by Mr. Blyth in 1845, and the type specimen is still in
the Calcutta Museum. Mr. Jerdon has certainly made a mistake in considering it to be the young of
A. euryzona, which was, moreover, described as a distinct species by Mr. Blyth, under the name of 4. n-
gricans. It was hardly possible, therefore, that so acute an observer should have separated 4. grandis, and
not have united it to 4. nigricans, if they had both been the young of 4. euryzona. Mr. Blyth has, however,
himself written in defence of the species, and I can only state my full concurrence in his views.

“The type specimen came from Darjeeling, and the one from which the figure and description are now
taken was also shot in the Darjeeling Terai, by a Shikaree in the employ of Dr. John Anderson, the well-
known Curator of the Calcutta Museum, to whom I beg to tender my most hearty thanks for his great kindness
in allowing this extremely valuable specimen (the only perfect one known) to be sent to England for
the enhancement of my work.” ;

The remarks by Mr. Blyth, alluded to above, are to the following effect ee grandis, nobis, from
Sikhim, has been erroneously assigned to A. euryzona, Temm., of which 4. nigricans, nobis, from Malacca,
is the young. 4. euryzona has white under-parts, crossed by : broad dark-green pectoral ao (whence the
name, which is quite inapplicable to the other), much as mm a small 4. beryllina (v. baru) ; mhencus
A. grandis is like A. ispida and A. bengalensis, but much larger, with the coronal spots of a paler and dif-
ferent blue, and no rufous on the ear-coverts.” (¢ Ibis,’ 1865, p. 30.)

I would here remark that Mr. Sharpe is himself in error when he states that Mr. Jerdon considered the

Sens mG Sei Se 9) ee : 9 :
A. grandis to be the young of A. euryzona ; for, upon turning to the ‘ Birds of India,’ vol. 1. p. 231, I find

that he regarded it as an adult of that species, an error which be corrected, on the authority of Mr. Blyth,
Cc 5 Cc C

“ ‘ =
in the appendix to the same work, Vol, me pt. W. p. O70. | |

Head and nape bluish black, crossed by a series of narrow interrupted bands of pale greenish cobalt, each

Cc C , y
, e e e 7 e ae » 7 ye ay, . a A} 7} . oO »

with a small streak of silvery white in the centre; ear-coverts and stripe from the angle of the mouth down
each side of the neck bluish black, striated with a pale tint of dark blue; on each side the neck a patch,
dge, and orange-buff on the remainder ; back and upper tail-coverts glanicous
black, with a small spot of greenish blue at the tip of each; pri-
enish blue, and with rufous on the inner webs

which is yellow on its upper e
or turquoise blue ; wing-coverts greenish

maries and secondaries black, edged externally with dark gre om ad F tl
: oo : Ae vaakh « tO: 2»: the remainder of th
tail dark indigo-blue above, black beneath ; throat bully white ; the

bill black, inclining to horny at the tip; feet orange.
ze. was taken from the perfect example above mentioned.

of the secondaries ;
under surface rich chestnut-red ;
The figure, which is of the natural si