THE BANDED KINGFISHERS. 65 



of tropical Asia, extending throughout the Indian Peninsula 

 and Ceylon to China and Japan, but not penetrating farther 

 than Tenasserim and the Indo-Chinese countries. One pecu- 

 liar character of the genus Ceryle is that the sexes, contrary 

 to the usual rule in Kingfishers, differ in colour, the female 

 possessing an additional band on the breast. The genus 

 differs also from the genus Alcedo in having a long tail, in this 

 respect resembling the Stork-billed Kingfishers [Pelargopsis) of 

 the Indian Region. The best known species of the genus 

 Ceryle is probably the Black-and- White Kingfisher {^Ceryle 

 rudis)^ which is a frequent object of interest to the traveller in 

 Palestine and the Nile Valley, where it attracts attention by its 

 habit of hovering in the air, like a Kestrel Hawk. 



I. THE EELTED KINGFISHER. CERYLE ALCYON. 



Alcedo alcyon, Linn. S. N. i. p. i8o (1766). 



Ceryle alcyo7i^ Newton, ed. Yarr. ii. p. 452 (1881); B. O. U. 

 List Br. B. p. 81 (1883); Seebohm, Jir. B. ii. p. 348 

 (1884); Saunders, Man. p. 270 (1889); Sharp?, Cat. B. 

 xvii. p. 125 (1892). 



Adult Male. — General colour above slaty-blue, with a well 

 developed crest of the same colour ; round the hind-neck a 

 white collar ; wing-coverts spotted with white ; quills black, 

 with white tips, the outer webs with white spots, the second- 

 aries externally slaty-blue with white spots ; tail also slaty-blue, 

 banded and spotted with white ; under surface of body white, 

 with a broad band of slaty-blue across the upper breast, the 

 flanks also mottled with slaty-blue ; bill black ; feet dark 

 bluish-grey; iris dark brown. Total length, 12 inches; cul- 

 men, to ; wing, 6*4 ; tail, 3*2 ; tarsus, 0-3. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having a secondhand 

 of rusty-red on the breast, below the grey one, the flanks being 

 also rufous. Total length, 11*5 inches; wing, 6*4. 



Young Male. — Resembles the old female, and has two bands 

 on the breast like the latter. The second rufous band, how- 

 ever, is narrower than that of the old hen-bird, and the band 

 on the upper breast h.-^jj a strong admixture of rufous, as well 

 as the flanks. 



