THE COM^ION KINGFISHER. 67 



longer than the bill, in Alcedo the bill is much longer than 

 the tail. So it is in the African genus Corythoniis and the 

 Australian genus Alcyone^ both of which are fish-eaters, but 

 Alcyone has only three toes, and Corythornis has a long droop- 

 ing crest, which distinguishes it at once from Alcedo. 



I. THE COAIMON KINGFISHER. ALCEDO ISPIDA. 



Alcedo ispida, Linn. S. N. i. p. 179 (1766); Macg. Br. B. hi. 

 p. 671 (1840); Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 113, pi. 290(1875); 

 Newt. ed. Yarr. n. p. 443 (1881) j B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 

 81 (1883); Seebohm, Br. B. ii. p. 341 (1884); Lilford, 

 Col. Fig. Br. B. part viii. (1888) ; Saunders, Man. p. 269 

 (1889); Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 141 (1892). 



{Plate XXXIV.) 



Adult Male. — General colour greenish-blue, the scapular 

 feathers slightly streaked with brighter blue ; the back, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, rich cobalt-blue, sometimes, in very old 

 individuals, deep blue ; wing-coverts like the back, the median 

 .and greater series spotted with greenish- cobalt ; bastard-wing, 

 primary-coverts and quills blackish, externally blue; tail 

 feathers also blue, with black shafts; crown of head greenish- 

 blue, with bands of dusky-black, and with a shaft-stripe of 

 greenish-blue ; lores blackish, with a streak of orange-rufous 

 above, the sides of the face and ear-coverts being also orange- 

 rufous ; cheek-stripe bright blue, with dusky bars ; on each 

 side of the neck a band of buffy-white feathers, slightly tinged 

 with orange-rufous ; under surface of body rich orange-rufous, 

 the throat buffy-white ; the sides of the upper breast greenish- 

 blue; bill black; feet coral-red; iris dusky-brown. Total length, 

 7'5 inches; culmen, 175 ; wing, 3'i ; tail, 1*5 ; tarsus, 0*35. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but not quite so bright in 

 •colour, and always to be distinguished by having the basal half 

 of the under mandible red. Total length, 7-0 inches; culmen, 

 i"55; wing, 3-0; tail, 1-4; tarsus, 0*3. 



Young. — Much more dingy in colour than the adults, and 

 always to be distinguished by the ashy margins to the feathers 

 of the fore-neck and breast, which impart an ashy shade to this 

 portion of the body. 



F 2 



