of the District of MontredL 313 



1st primary longest ; the others graduated. Length 3| inches ; 

 alar expanse 4 inches. The female has a similar dorsal aspect to 

 the male, but less brilliant ; her ventral aspect is white, the feathers 

 feintly edged and tipped with rufous, and the three lateral tail 

 feathers tipped with white. In the young bird the throat strongly 

 inclines to yellow. In the adult males which I have seen, I have 

 not detected '* the three outer tail feathers rusty white at the 

 tips," as according to Nuttal. 



2nd division of Passerince, in which the external and middle toes 

 are united to their penultimate articulation, 



Fam. Syndactyla. 

 Genus Alcedo. 



Gen. char. Bill quadrangular, long and straight, edged, acu- 

 minate ; nostrils basal, lateral, oblique, almost wholly closed by 

 a naked membrane ; legs short, naked above the knee for a con- 

 siderable space ; tongue short and fleshy; outer toe connected to 

 the middle as far as the second joint, and the inner to the middle 

 as far as the first joint . 3rd primary longest. 



A. alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. 

 Ceryle (Megacerile) alcyon. Baird ! 



V.S.P. Bill black, pale at the tip ; legs and feet bluish ; claws 

 black ; irides hazel ; eggs 6, white. 



Dorsal aspect. A white spot between the orbit and nostrils ; 

 crest, nape of neck, interscapulary region, scapulars, small and 

 greater wing coverts, (which are also faintly tipped with white,) 

 and rump, bluish slate colour ; primaries and secondaries black ; 

 the former with half of their inner vanes white, and barred with 

 white on the collateral portion of the outer vane ; the four or five 

 last ones edg d on the outer vane with bluish slate colour and 

 tipped with white; secondaries bluish slate on the outer vanes; 

 black barred with white on their inner vanes, tipped with white 

 except the 4 or 5 last ones which are wholly bluish slate colour ; 

 tail square; the two centre feathers bluish slate, with a black 

 streak down their shafts, the others all black, with 11 or 12 nar- 

 row bars of white, with a terminal tip of the same colour, and 

 edged with slate blue on the outer vanes. 



Ventral aspect. Chin, throat, and sides of neck, belly, vent, 

 wing and tail coverts white ; breast with a slate blue belt reach- 

 ing from shoulder to shoulder. 



