278 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



ish, sometimes tinged with russet ; ear-coverts black, bordered above by a 



line of bright light greenish blue or bluish green (this sometimes almost 



obsolete). 



&\ Whole top of head bright verditer-blue, varying to verdigris-green, duller 



centrally ; length about 14.20-15.00, wing 5.30-5.70, middle tail-feathers 



8.80-9.15, exposed culmen 1.40-1.55. Hab. Eastern Mexico, north to 



Eio Grande Valley (Nuevo Leon). 



M. caeruleiceps Gould. Blue-crowned Motmot.^ 

 6'. Top of head deep black centrally, this entirely surrounded by bright verditer- 

 blue, the latter bordered exteriorly, from eyes backward, by rich pur- 

 plish ultramarine-blue ; size about the same as in M. cceruleiceps. Hab. 

 Central America, from Veragua to southern Mexico. 



M. lessonii Less. Lesson's Motmot.* 

 a*. Whole top of head and hind-neck uniform rufous ; lores dull grayish, mixed 

 with dusky ; lower parts pale glaucous-green (sometimes tinged with buflfy 

 anteriorly), changing to dull whitish on flanks, anal region, and under tail- 

 coverts ; a large spot of purplish smalt-blue underneath eye, on malar region, 

 and ear-coverts usually largely ultramarine- or smalt-blue; length about 

 12.00-13.00, wing 4.50-5.00, middle tail-feathers 6.50-7.50, exposed culmen 

 1.40-1.60. Hab. Southwestern Mexico, north to Mazatlan. 



M. mexicanus Swains. Rufous-crowned Motmot.* 



Family ALCEDINIDiE.— The Kingfishers. (Page 271.) 



Genera. 



(Characters same as those given for the Family) Ceryle. (Page 278.) 



Genus CERYLE Boie. (Page 278, pi. LXXX., figs. 2, 3.) 



(West at extremity of horizontal burrow in earth-banks. Eggs usually 6, ovate 

 or oval, pure white, with smooth, somewhat glossy surface.) 



Species. 



a*. Wing 6.00, or more ; tarsus about as long as hind-toe, much shorter than inner 

 anterior toe ; plumage without metallic gloss. (Upper parts plumbeous-blue, 

 or bluish plumbeous, more or less streaked with black, especially on top 

 of head, the tail-feathers transversely spotted with white, these markings 

 usually more or less hidden in closed tail; chin, throat, and collar round hind- 

 neck pure white.) (Subgenus Streptoceryle Bonap.) 

 b^. Wing more than 7.00, culmen more than 3.00 ; belly, sides, and flanks uni- 



1 Momotus cseruleiceps GouLD, P. Z. S. 1836, 18. 



2 Momotus lessonii Less., Eev. Zool. June, 1842, 174 (Realejo, Nicaragua). 

 ^ Momotus mexieamts SwAiNS., Philos. Mag. n. s. i. 1827, 442. 



