YEIV YV |
emYX G ENTIANA, Tris

tram.

Gentian Kingfisher.

Coy gentiana, Tristram, Ibis, 1879, p. 438, pl. xi.—Salvad. Orn, Papuasia e delle Molucche, i. p. 423 (1880).

Canon Tristram has kindly lent us the type specimen of this lovely Kingfisher, which was discovered by

Lieut. Richards in Maikara Harbour, in the island of San Christoval, one of the Solomon group.
The original specimen is in the collection of Canon Tristram, who pointed out the characters of the
species in ‘The Ibis’ (4. ¢.). The plate by Mr. Smit, accompanying his paper, gives a poor repre-
sentation of the species, the colouring of the bird being quite wrong in tint, and the long scapulars
being left out altogether. The species is, however, a very distinct one, the only other Ceya with a
black bill being C. sodtaria, which is yellow below.

The following is a description of the typical specimen :—

Adult female (type of species). Mantle and scapulars black, washed with purplish blue, the feathers
being mesially streaked with dark cobalt; entire back, rump, and upper  tail-coverts bright silvery
greenish cobalt, a little more purplish on the latter; lesser, median, and inner greater coverts black,
tipped with purplish blue, with a narrow mesial line of cobalt; remainder of the greater coverts, bastard-
wing, primary-coverts, and quills black, slightly shaded with purplish blue externally;  tail-feathers black,
edged with purplish blue; crown of head black, all the feathers tipped with purplish blue, oa feather
with a central line of brighter cobalt; the spots thicker on the nape and hind neck, which appear
almost entirely purplish blue ; lores and base of forehead black, with a white loral spot; feathers round
eye, ear-coverts, and cheeks black, the feathers mesially streaked with purplish blue; throat ae under
surface of body white, as also a longitudinal patch on the sides of the neck; the upper breast with a patch
of black feathers washed with blue: flanks with black streaks; thighs blackish; under tail-coverts white,
axillaries white, with a black bar across the former;

tipped with purplish blue; under wing-coverts and oon
“bill black; feet flesh-colour ; iris bluish

quills below dusky, white along the edge of the inner web:
black” (Richards). ‘Total length 5:9 inches, culmen L909, wing i
* the natural size, 1 ‘0 positions.

The Plate illustrates the species, of the natural size, 10 two |

9:55, tail 1-1, tarsus 0°40.
The figures are drawn from

the specimen lent to us by Canon Tristram. R. B. SJ

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