BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 409 



aa. Smaller (wing 145-169.5); breast and abdomen white. (Streptoceryle alcyon.) 

 h. Smaller (wing averaging 156.3 in male, 158.6 in female; tail 87.7 in male, 88.7 in 

 female; exposed culmen 54.5 in male, 58.7 in female); wing-tip averaging 

 relatively shorter. (Eastern North America, from Mackenzie to West Indies 



and Panama) Streptoceryle alcyon alcyon (p. 415). 



hh. Larger (wing averaging 163.1 in male, 165.5 in female; tail 92.1 in male, 93.3 

 in female; exposed culmen 58.7 in male, 59.6 in female); wing-tip averaging 

 relatively longer. (Western North America, from northern Alaska and Yukon 

 Territory to western Mexico) Streptoceryle alcyon caurina (p. 420). 



STREPTOCERYLE TORQUATA TORQUATA (Linnaeus). 



RINGED KINGFISHER. 



Adult male. — Above bluish plumbeous, interrupted by a white 

 collar across hindneck, the feathers usually with more or less distinct 

 shaft streaks of black, especially those of the crest; secondaries nar- 

 rowly tipped with white and (together with some of the coverts) 

 with more or less concealed irregular white spotting; primaries dull 

 black or slate-black, narrowly tipped with white (except outer 

 quills), and often with spots of white on outer web, at least on inner 

 quills; middle rectrices bluish plumbeous with a median narrow 

 stripe of black, tipped with white and marked with larger or smaller 

 transverse spots or irregular bars of white, which, however, rarely 

 reach the edge of the webs; remaining rectrices black edged with 

 bluish plumbeous (this nearly if not quite absent from the outer- 

 most), spotted with white along inner portion of outer web, the inner 

 web crossed by much larger transverse spots or broad bars of white, 

 which frequently become confluent along the edge, especially on 

 proximal portion of the rectrices; a supraloral spot, spot on lower 

 eyelid, chin, throat, sides of neck, anal region, under tail-coverts, 

 axHlars, under wing-coverts, and greater part of inner webs of remiges, 

 white, the longer under tail-coverts and axillars sometimes more or 

 less spotted or irregularly streaked with bluish plumbeous; sides of 

 foreneck (immediately beneath the white subauricular area) bluish 

 plumbeous; median portion of foreneck, chest, breast, abdomen, 

 sides, and flanks, plain deep cinnamon-rufous, the feathers paler 

 beneath surface; bill blackish paler basally, especially on mandible 

 (greenish white in life)" ; iris brown;" legs and feet dusky brown 

 (ohve-green in life);" length (skins), 360-424 (381); wmg, 185-211 



Footnote — Continued . 

 a. Ceryle stellata Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xvii, 1892, 123. — Alcedo stellaris Kitt- 

 litz, Denkw. Reis. Russ. Am., i, 1858, 120, in text. 



This form closely resembles S. t. stictipennis in coloration of the upper parts, some 

 specimens of the two being precisely similar in this respect; but apparently always 

 has under wing-coverts more or less spotted or streaked and the female has them 

 largely Avhite instead of wholly uniform light cinnamon-rufous; the posterior under 

 parts are much more hea\'ily barred or spotted, and the bill much smaller. 



oF. Sumichrast, manuscript. 



