158 



U. 8 P. E. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



CEKYLE ALCYON, Boie. 



Belted Kingfisher. 



Mcedo alcyon, Linnaecs, Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 180. — Wilsok, Am. Orn III, 1811, 59.— Audubon, Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 



394 ; pi. 77 Ib. Birds America. 



Ceryle alcyon, Boie, Isis, 1828, 316.— Cassin, Ulust. I, 1855, 254.— Brewer, N Am. Oology, I, 1857, 110 ; pi. iv, 



fig. 52. (Egg.) 

 Megaceryk alcyon, Reichenb. Handb. Sp. Orn. I, II, 185], 25 ; pi. 412, fig. 3108- '9. 

 bpida tudoviciana, Gmelin, Syst. Nat I, 1788, 452. 

 "Mcedo jaguacate, Dumont, Diet. Sc. Nat. I, 1816, 455," (Cassin.) 

 " JHcedo guacu, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XI.K, 1818, 406," (Cassin.) 



Sp. Ch. — Head with a long crest. Above blue, without metallic lustre. Beneath, with a concealed band across the occiput, 

 and a spot anterior to the eye, pure white. A band across the breast, and the sides of the body under the wings, like the back. 

 Primaries white on the basal half, the terminal unspotted. Tail with transverse bands and spots of white. 



Young with the sides of body and a transverse band across the belly below the pectoral one, light chestnut ; the pectoral 

 band more or less tinged with the same. Length of adult about 12J inches ; wing, 6 or more. 



Hab. — The entire continent of North America. 



The above diagnosis will serve to identify the present species sufficiently for all practical 

 purposes. The length of the bill and the other dimensions vary quite considerably, and, as a 

 general rule, specimens from the Pacific coast are appreciably larger than eastern ones, tliough I 

 have been unable to detect any difl'erence of coloration. Mr. Bell, of New York, says that the 

 difference in size between living birds of New York and California is very striking. The 

 comparative table of measurements will serve to illustrate these differences. 



List of specimens. 



