Zoological Illustrations Volume Ii Part 1

Zoological Ill.u.s.trations.

Volume II.

by William Swainson.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_H. caeruleo viridis; pileo, collo, plumisque totis subtus pallide cinnamominis; auribus viridibus; nucha torque nigro gracili ornata._

Blue-green; upper part of the head, neck, and all beneath, pale cinnamon colour; ears green; round the nape a slender black collar.

As far as I can ascertain, this beautifully coloured bird is quite new, and hitherto undescribed. It is in the possession of Mr. Leadbeater, of Brewer Street, by whom it was received from New Zealand; and who gave me the opportunity of now publis.h.i.+ng the accompanying figure and description.

The two extreme points of difference in the Linnaean kingfishers, are seen in the _Alcedo Ispida_, and _A. gigantea_; the last of which has been made into the genus _Dacelo_. It will, nevertheless, be found, that from among the birds left in the old genus, there are a great number, (of which, indeed, this bird is a striking example,) which are much nearer allied to _Dacelo_ than to _Alcedo_, where they now stand. It will appear, therefore, more natural to consider _Halcyon_ and _Dacelo_ as one genus--which may be called by either name, but which must be distinguished by the characters herein given to _Halcyon_, inasmuch as the generic definition of _Dacelo_ (founded on one bird) will be found too restricted to comprehend all.

Total length ten inches; bill two and a half from the gape, and one and a half from the nostrils; the tip of the upper mandible with a slight inclination downwards, and with an appearance of a notch; the whole head, neck, and under plumage, of a delicate fawn colour; under wing covers the same; the remaining upper plumage, with the wings and tail, changeable blue green; ears sea green and dusky, united to a narrow black nuchal collar; wings four inches long, and the tail, which is even, three and a quarter; the hind head is slightly crested, and the feet pale brown.

Pl. 68

[Ill.u.s.tration]

POGONIAS rubrifrons,

_Red-fronted Toothbill._

GENERIC CHARACTER.

_Rostrum mediocre, cra.s.sum, validum, basi latiore quam altiore, vibrissis longis inc.u.mbentibus tecta, lateribus ultra basin compressis, culmine arcuato, subcarinato; mandibulae superioris margine dentibus 1 vel 2 armato, mandibulae inferioris marginem obtegente. Nares approximantes, parvae, rotundae, per rostri basin perforatae. Pedes scansorii, digitis posticis versatilibus._

Typus Genericus _Bucco Dubius_ Lath.

Bill moderate, thick, strong, the base broader than high, with long inc.u.mbent bristles, the sides beyond compressed, the top arched, and slightly carinated; upper mandible with one or two strong teeth on each side, the margin folding over that of the lower mandible; nostrils approximating, small, round, perforated through the base of the bill.

Feet scansorial. Hind toe versatile.

Generic Type _Doubtful Barbut_ Lath.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_P. niger; sincipite juguloque rubris; alis et cauda fuscis; tegminum margine externo albo, remigum fulvo._

Glossy black; forepart of the head and throat red; wings and tail brown; external margin of the covers white, and of the quills yellow.

The Linnaean Barbuts, comprehended by Latham under one genus, contain three distinct groups of birds; which, from their peculiar characters, no less than their geographic position, have now received generic distinctions. The first of these (which are still retained under the old genus,) are natives of Asia; the next in affinity were first characterized by Illiger under the name of _Pogonias_, and are distributed on the African continent; while the prototype genus in America is _Tamatia_ (Cuvier), in which continent not any of the two preceding have been found: thus each quarter of the globe lying within the tropics have their corresponding groups of a family, possessing a general, but at the same time an individuality of character.

I am obliged to Mr. Leadbeater for the opportunity of figuring this new and rare species, which he believes to have come from Sierra Leone. Its total length was six inches; the under-covers of the wings white; the tail two inches long, the feathers broad and even.

Pl. 69

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THECLA Galathea,

_Red-bordered Hair-streak._

GENERIC CHARACTER.

_Antennae clavo elongato, compresso, obtuso terminatae. Palpi exserti, recti, approximantes, squamis obtecti, imberbes, articulo ultimo nudo, gracili, acuto. Oculi semicirculares. Alae anticae trigonae; posticae dentatae, caudatae, lobo ad angulum a.n.a.lem obtuso, concavo, quem sedentes vibrant, instructae. Thorax validus. Abdomen gracile._

Typus Genericus _Papilio Betulae, &c._ Lin.

Antennae ending in a lengthened, compressed, and obtuse club. Palpi exserted, approximating, covered with scales, but without hairs, the last joint naked, slender, acute. Eyes semi-circular. Anterior wings trigonal, the hinder dentated, generally tailed, with an obtuse concave lobe at their a.n.a.l angle, which is generally in motion when the insect is at rest. Thorax strong; body slender.

Generic Type _Papilio Betulae, &c._ Lin.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_T. alis fuscis, colore violaceo nitidis, posticis caudatis, margine rubro, subtus maculo nigro lunulaque rubra ornatis; lobo a.n.a.li supra aerato, subtus nigro._

Wings brown, glossed with violet; posterior tailed, with a red margin, beneath with a black spot and red lunule, a.n.a.l lobe above bronzed, beneath black.

The beautiful little b.u.t.terflies included by Fabricius in this genus, are scattered over all parts of the world, but are most numerous within the tropics, and particularly in South America, for in Brazil alone I collected near 120 species. They are an obvious and very natural family, though the species are as yet but little understood, and not one half of them described. I have observed a singular peculiarity in a great many of these insects, which is, that when they are at rest in the sun, the lower wings are constantly in a quick vibrating motion up and down, as if the insect was rubbing them together, more particularly where the two lobes (or obtuse tails) of the under wings meet, though what purpose this is intended to accomplish remains unknown.

The upper surface of the wings in the greatest number of the _Hair streaks_ (as they are aptly called by English collectors) are of various shades of vivid blue, so that the species can only be ascertained from the under markings, which are usually very striking and delicate: they are all of a small size.

This is an African species, and both s.e.xes are in the cabinet of my friend Mr. Haworth.