ALCYONE. 309 



much more rare. It is to be found along tlie lianks of small fresh-water 

 streams, which it is extremely loath to leave. In Sibuyan one specimen 

 was seen in a mangrove swamp. We never met with it away from water. 

 Legs, feet, and nails scarlet; upper mandible black, lower red; food (in 

 one case) fish. 



"Eight males average, 138 in length; wing, 58; tail, 22; cuhnen, 39; 

 tarsus, 9 ; middle toe with claw, 17. Seven females average, 142 in length ; 

 wing, 60; tail, 22; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, IT; culmeu, 39."' 

 (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



272. ALCYONE ARGENTATA ( Tweeddale ) . 

 SILVEEY KINGFISHER. 



Ceyx argentata Tweeddale, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1877), 20, (4), .533; 



Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), pi. 6, 108; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 



(1892), 17, 187; Hand-List (1900), 2, 53. 

 Alcyone argentata McGregoe and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 52. 



■Basilan {Bourns & ^Norcester) ; Dinagat (Everett) ; Mindanao (Everett, Koch 

 d Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow, Celestino) . 



Adult. — Sexes similar; upper parts, wings, and sides of head black; 

 bases of loral feathers white ; sides of crown from above eyes to nape with 

 small white spots; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts white, resulting 

 from the wide tips to the feathers; white tip of each feather preceded 

 by a light blue bar which is more or less concealed; a large white patch 

 on each side of neck; chin, throat, and fore breast pure white, foiming 

 a well-defined patch ; thighs and middle of abdomen white ; remainder of 

 under parts black, the breast and sides of abdomen strongly washed with 

 blue ; greater secondaiy-coverts with white tips ; edge of wing and most of 

 wing-lining white; axillars black. "Eyes black, feet red; nails and bill 

 black." (Celestino.) A male from northern Mindanao is 152 in length; 

 wing, 64; tail, 27; culmen from base, 41; tarsus, 10. A female from 

 the same region is 150 in length; wing, 60; tail, 22; culmen from base, 

 39 ; tarsus, 10. 



In some specimens the white patch behind ear-coverts is washed with 

 buff and some of the median secondary-coverts are tipped with pale blue. 

 These characters are probably due to immaturity. 



"We obtained four specimens in Mindanao and one in Basilan; it is 

 extremely rare in the latter island, at least in the portion over which we 

 collected. Like A. cyanopectus and A. nigrirostris it is invariably found 

 along the banks of wooded streams. 



"Iris very dark brown; legs and feet scarlet, mucli darker in some 

 specimens than in others; nails red to black. Throe nuilos fi'om Min- 

 danao measure, 145 in length; wing, 59; tail, 21; culmen, 39; tarsus, 

 9; middle toe with claw, 15. A female from Basilan measures, 143 in 

 length; wing, 61; tail, 28; culmen, 39; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 

 16." (Bourns and Viorcester MS.) 



