richardbowdlersharpe,amonographofthealce

Richard Bowdler Sharpe, A Monograph of the Alcedinidae

A Monograph of the Alcedinidae: or, Family of Kingfishers.

R(ichard) B(owdler) Sharpe.

120 plates, plus 1 print of a map.

1868--1871, in parts; (quarto)

Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847--1909) began working on this, his first monograph study, at age seventeen, and self-publication of Alcedinidae commenced four years later. It would be issued in fourteen parts; part xi was issued in conjunction with part x, and part xv was issued with part xiv. Only two hundred copies were printed, and it quickly become a rarity. Published in London, the plates for Alcedinidae were pressed by the firm of P. M. W. Trap. Keulemans illustrated all, age twenty-six. Criticism of the plates was pointed at the use and application of color (Anker, Bird Books and Bird Art), not at the artist's emergent skill in lithography.

Some eleven new species of the kingfisher family were described during the period of publication of Alcedinidae. These are noted with an asterisk. Not all of these descriptions came from Sharpe, and just one, Tanysiptera emiliae (plate [102]), was described by him in this work.

The numeration of the prints is problematical, as a numeral was not provided for them. Nor were they issued in sequential order and as a consequence did not correspond to the material covered within each part as issued. For the prints in this exhibit page references to where each entry appears in the text are indicated in italics. There is one duplicate image of plate [41]. This exhibit of Alcedinidae is featured on two webpages, with a link provided below to access the second page.

The publication of the parts was as follows:

Parts i--ii 1868

Parts iii--vi 1869

Parts vii--xiii 1870

Parts xiv--xv 1871

Additionally, one plate figuring the heads and beaks of the various kingfisher genera was included.

Discrepancies between the name as it appeared on the plate and Sharpe's entry for it have been noted in parentheses. Additionally, the following sources were consulted to compare information relating to the material herein--

Coues, Elliot. "Art. XVII--Second Installment of American Ornithological Bibliography." Bulletin of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, Vol. V. ([United States] Department of the Interior).

Gunther, Albert, ed. The Record of Zoological Literature 1868, Vol. Fifth. (John Van Voorst).

Gunther, Albert, ed. The Record of Zoological Literature 1869, Vol. Sixth. (John Van Voorst).

Newton, Alfred, ed. The Zoological Record for 1870; Being Volume Seventh of the Record of Zoological Literature. (John Van Voorst).

Newton, Alfred, ed. The Zoological Record for 1871; Being Volume Eighth of the Record of Zoological Literature. (John Van Voorst).

Sharpe, R(ichard) Bowdler. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, Vol. XVII. (Trustees of the British Museum).

Zimmer, John Todd. Catalogue of the Edward E. Ayer Ornithological Library. (Field Museum of Natural History).

Generic Characters of Alcedinidae.

([99], part i) Caridonax fulgidus.

p. 257

([25], part ii) Ceryle (Chloroceryle) cabanisi, (male and female).

p. 87

([18], part vi) Ceryle (Megaceryle) guttata.

p. 57

([21], part vi) Ceryle (Megaceryle) sharpei.

p. 71

(Sharpe: Ceryle sharpii)

([22], part vii) Ceryle (Megaceryle) torquata.

p. 73

([40], part iii) Ceyx tridactyla.

p. 119

A misprint had occurred in the preparation for plate [41], and this name had also appeared there, instead of Ceyx rufidorsa. At some point during publication the error was apparently fixed, with a label being applied over the incorrect name.

([119], part ii) Cittura cyanotis.

p. 301

*([118], part ii) Cittura sanghirensis.

p. 299

This new species was first described in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, and Keulemans supplied the illustration for plate XXVII there as well.

([117], part iii) Dacelo tyro.

p. 297

([63], part ix) Halcyon erythrogastra.

p. 171

([92], part xiii) Halcyon funebris.

p. 243

([60], part ix) Halcyon gularis.

p. 165

([70], part vii) Halcyon senegalensis.

p. 191

([120], part iv) Melidora macrorhina.

p. 303

([98], part x) Monachalcyon (Actenoides) monachus.

p. 255

*([36], part viii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) floresiana.

p. 111

([107], part xii) Tanysiptera acis.

p. 275

([108], part x) Tanysiptera margarethae.

p. 277

([89], part xii) Todiramphus (Halcyon) forsteni.

p. 235

(Sharpe: Halcyon forsteni)

([65], part vii) Halcyon albiventris.

p. 177

([81], part xiii) Halcyon australasiae.

p. 215

([77], part x) Halcyon diops.

p. 205

([86], part xiv) Halcyon juliae.

p. 227

([75], part x) Halcyon nigrocyanea.

p. 201

([91], part xii) Halcyon sancta.

p. 239

([88], part x) Halcyon sordida.

p. 233

([90], part xiv) Halcyon vagans.

p. 237

([57], part ix) Halcyon coromandeliaria.

p. 155

(Sharpe: Halcyon coromanda)

([49], part iv) Ispidina (Ceyx) madagascariensis.

p. 137

([29], part ix) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) melanoryncha.

p. 95

(Sharpe: Pelargopsis melanorhyncha)

([113], part vii) Dacelo leachi.

p. 289

(Sharpe: Dacelo leachii)

([101], part xii) Tanysiptera doris.

p. 263

([14], part vii) Alcyone (Alcedo) pulchra.

p. 45

([62], part i) Halcyon pileata.

p. 169

([93], part xiii) Todiramphus (Halcyon) veneratus.

p. 245

(Sharpe: Todirhamphus veneratus)

*([66], part v) Halcyon orientalis, ad. & juv.

p. 181

([27], part iv) Ceryle (Chloroceryle) inda, (male and female).

p. 91

([28], part i) Ceryle (Chloroceryle) superciliosa, (male and female).

p. 93

([116], part iii) Dacelo gaudichaudi, (male and female).

p. 295

([58], part iii) Halcyon badia.

p. 159

([61], part vii) Halcyon cyanoventris.

p. 167

(Sharpe: Halcyon cyaniventris)

([76], part ix) Halcyon lazuli.

p. 203

([72], part vii) Halcyon malimbica.

p. 195

([64], part xii) Halcyon semicaerulea.

p. 173

([68], part iv) Halcyon senegaloides.

p. 157

([69], part v) Halcyon cyanoleuca, ad. & juv.

p. 189

*([35], part viii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) burmanica.

p. 109

([94], part xii) Todiramphus (Halcyon) recurvirostris.

p. 247

(Sharpe: Todirhamphus recurvirostris)

([95], part xiii) Todiramphus (Halcyon) tutus.

p. 249

(Sharpe: Todirhamphus tutus)

([13], part x) Alcyone (Alcedo) azurea.

p. 41

([17], part iv) Alcyone (Ceyx) cyanipectus.

p. 55

(Sharpe: Alcyone cyanopectus)

([16], part vi) Alcyone (Alcedo) pusilla.

p. 53

([1], part xiii) Alcedo ispida.

p. 1

([4], part x) Alcedo moluccensis.

p. 21

([106], part ix) Tanysiptera hydrocharis.

p. 273

([104], part iii) Tanysiptera nympha.

p. 269

([5], part x) Alcedo asiatica.

p. 23

([3], part vii) Alcedo grandis.

p. 19

([48], part v) Ceycopsis (Ceyx) fallax.

p. 135

Tommaso Salvadori described the genus Ceycopsis for this species in 1869.

([10], part v) Corythornis (Alcedo) vintsioides.

p. 33

([50], part iv) Ispidina (Alcedo) leucogastra.

p. 139

([52], part vi) Ispidina (Ceyx) natalensis, ad. & juv.

p. 145

([51], part iv) Ispidina (Ceyx) picta.

p. 141

([53], part v) Ispidina (Ceyx) ruficeps.

p. 147

([97], part ii) Carcineutes (Lacedo) melanops, (male and juv. male).

p. 253

([96], part i) Carcineutes (Lacedo) pulchellus.

p. 251

*([115], part viii) Dacelo occidentalis.

p. 293

([67], part xiii) Halcyon chelicutensis.

p. 183

In 1869 (Martin) Theodor von Heuglin created a nomen novum for the name of this African species: Dacelo tschelicutensis.

([87], part xii) Halcyon chloris.

p. 229

([71], part i) Halcyon dryas.

p. 193

([79], part x) Halcyon pyrrhopygia.

p. 211

([30], part viii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) amauroptera.

p. 97

([31], part viii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) leucocephala.

p. 99

([12], part vi) Corythornis (Alcedo) coeruleocephala, ad. & juv.

p. 39 [a]

(Sharpe: Corythornis caeruleocephala)

([56], part iii) Syma (Halcyon) flavirostris, (female and male).

p. 153

([55], part iii) Syma (Halcyon) torotoro, (female and male).

p. 151

([26], part x) Ceryle (Chloroceryle) americana.

p. 89

([20], part vi) Ceryle (Megaceryle) maxima, (male and female).

p. 67

([11], part vi) Corythornis (Alcedo) cristata, ad. & juv.

p. 35

([112], part x) Dacelo gigas.

p. 285

([80], part x) Halcyon cinnamomina.

p. 213

([8], part ix) Alcedo euryzona.

p. 29

([24], part v) Ceryle (Chloroceryle) amazonia, (male and female).

p. 83

(Sharpe: Ceryle amazona)

([83], part x) Halcyon (Actenoides) concreta.

p. 219

([59], part x) Halcyon smyrnensis.

p. 161

([7], part v) Alcedo semitorquata, ad. & juv.

p. 27

([23], part i) Ceryle (Megaceryle) alcyon, (male and female).

p. 79

([34], part xii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) gurial.

p. 105

([2], part ix) Alcedo bengalensis.

p. 11

([6], part xiii) Alcedo quadribrachys.

p. 25

([9], part v) Alcedo beryllina.

p. 31

([15], part xiv) Alcyone (Alcedo) affinis,

Alcyone (Alcedo) lessoni.

pp. 51, 49

([19], part xiv) Ceryle rudis.

p. 61

*([32], part viii) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) gouldi.

p. 101

([33], part xiv) Pelargopsis (Halcyon) fraseri.

p. 103

([38], part ii) Ceyx solitaria.

p. 115

([39], part ii) Ceyx melanura.

p. 117

([41], part ii) Ceyx rufidorsa.

p. 141

This name as it appears here is a correction for what was originally printed on this plate--Ceyx tridactyla (used for the figure in plate [40]). At some point during publication the correct label was, evidently, applied over the misprinted name. The next image, below, is a duplication of this, but without the title.