from the colony of Natal in South-eastern Africa. 245 



5 Immature. The same as the adult ? , except that the 

 feathers on the upper part of the chest are edged with white, 

 tinged with rufous, and the dark portions of these feathers are 

 black and not partly slate- coloured as in the adult $ . 



The lower part of the chest is a pure white without the dark 

 spots observable in the adult ? . 



cJ Immature. The same as the immature $ , except that the 

 centre of the abdomen is white throughout its whole length, 

 forming a longitudinal white band, which is prolonged through 

 the under tail-coverts. The feathers on the under side of the 

 wing are also white, as in the adult S . 



I may add that the figure given of this Kingfisher in Swain- 

 son's 'Birds of Western Africa' (plate 11) represents an adult 

 male, and that in the ' Planches Enluminees' (plate 679) a male 

 in immature dress. In the plates to Dr. Reichenbach's ' Alce- 

 dinese,' figure 3101 represents an immature female, 3102 an im- 

 mature male, 3103 an adult male (copied from Swainson), and 

 3486 an adult female. Dr. Reichenbach considers Ceryle maxima 

 and C. gigantea as true and distinct species, and so describes them 

 in the work to which I have referred. He gives the two first- 

 mentioned figures as representing C. maxima, and the two last- 

 named as C. gigantea. — J. H. G.] 



33. Ceryle rudis (Linn.). Black and White Kingfisher. 

 Eye black : feeds entirely on fish ; frequents the lakes and 



rivers near the coast ; not found in the interior. This bird hovers 

 over the water before darting down, and if not successful flies 

 on further and hovers again ; having caught a fish, it flies to a 

 bough or post to swallow it. 



34. Alcedo quadribrachys, Bp. Dark-blue Kingfisher. 

 Eye black ; feeds entirely on fish ; frequents both the coast 



and the interior; darts on its prey from a bough above the 

 water ; does not hover like Ceryle rudis. 



35. CoRYTHORNis CRiSTATA (Linn.). Little Crested King- 

 fisher. 



Eye black ; legs and bill brilliant red : frequents both the 

 coast and interior streams, and feeds on freshwater shrimps and 

 small fish, but principally the former ; also on beetles and 



VOL. I. s 



