KINGFISHER'S. 



107 



Accoi-ding to Monteiro (Sliarpe aaid Layard, " Birds 

 of South Africa," yi. 554), this species " tceds cm wild 

 fruits, principaUy on that of a wikl tig-lree very abuji- 

 <lant iUl over the country, and called Macuzo ; flies 

 slowly, generally in threes, and fours together, uttering 

 a disagreeable note." 



Three examples arrived at the Ijondon Zoological 

 (!;ui-deiis in 1&?6. 



Cape Coly (GoUuk ail'nis).' 

 Abo^-e darkish lihicine grey with a white dorsal line 

 to tine rump. Iioimded on both sides by a broad black 

 Iwvnd, and succeeded on lower rump by a maroon patch ; 

 flights brown, grey externally ; upper tail-coverts and 

 tad grey, the outer feathers with white edges; sides 

 of head and throat lUacine grey, shading into pinkish 

 on breast and sides ; abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 buff ; lesser and median under win^-coverte white, 

 greater coverts black ; bill WuLsli white or pale blue 

 at base; tip of maxilla black, of mandible vellowifh- 

 brown ; feet coral-red, claws black; irides and small 

 orbital ring black. Female larger than male, with 

 longer and more tapering beak. 



According to Messrs. Stark and Sclater (" Birds of 

 South Africa," Vol. lU., pp. 98. 99), this bird closely 

 resembles C. str'iatus in habits. "It is gregarious; it 

 roostfi in companies congregated into a ball ; it loves 

 thick bush, where it will creep about like a Parrot, using 

 both bill and clan-s, and often hanging with its head 

 downwards without inconvenience. It is essentially a 

 frudt-eater, though stated by Anderson not to despise 

 insects and voung shoots of plants when its regular food 

 is scarce. Its note is a harsh chatter, syllabled by Le 

 Vaillant as ' qui ve. qui ve,' to which it gives vent 

 when flying from one tree to another. Its fleslh is very 

 paJatable. Nests of this spscies have been taken by 

 Anderson on September 26. October 16. and Decem- 

 ber 29; they were usually built in a bush, and were 

 comp'Osed externally of grass and twigs, lined internally 

 w ith soft<?r grass. In each case thei'e were three eggs. 

 No mention is made of a lining of fresh green leaves, 

 such as is found in that of the Speckled Mouse-biiid. 



"The eggs are dirty white and chalky, like tho.«e 

 of th' preceding species, and measure 0.90 x ^'^■" 



This is a frequently imported species, w-hich first 

 arrived at the London Zoological Gardens in 1885. 



KING FISHERS {AkaUnkhv). 



Tliese 'beautiful birds have been regarded by some 

 ornithologists as related to the Hornbills, to which ex- 

 ternally they olfer very little resemblance. Professor 

 Newton was" of opinion that they were probably more 

 neai-ly related to the Jacamar, Motmot.s, Bee-eaters, and 

 perhaps some other famUiss. and it is evident that Dr. 

 6harpe considered them (in his catalogue) as nearly 

 related to the Motmote, Todies, and Colies, since he 

 associated the four groups in one sub-order — Halcyoncs. 



Dr. Sharps, in his beautifid monograph of the King- 

 fishers, divided these birds into two sub-families — 

 AlcedinincE, in which the bill is long and slender, com- 

 preesed, and perceptibly keeled. Habits mainly pisci- 

 vorous ; and Dacelrmiiue, in which the bUI is more or 

 less depressed ; the culmen rounded or flattened, some- 

 times even grooved. HabitJ? mainly insectivorous or 

 reptilivorous. Of these two it is obvious that the latter 

 would be more eas.v to keep in captivity ; nevertheless 

 even our common Europeim Kingfisher ha? been kept 



* I must say I much prefer the name Colins capensis for thii 

 6p?cie©; the "repetition of the freneric name, indicating- tho 

 lazineiss of Gmelin in not inventing a new name for the genuo, 

 is irritating; but what can one do? 



with varying success by different aviculturists. The 

 difficulty "of providing a sufficient quantity of small 

 living tiah to lieep the birds in vigorous health and tlie 

 question of space for needful exercise are the two chief 

 objections to keeping piscivorous species ; an extensive 

 aviary enclosing a fair amount of water is what is 

 needed. 



Dr. RuS'S. very impffoperly, I think, excludes the 

 Kingfishers from his work. 



L.iTjOHiNG Kingfisher {Dacelu gic/as). 

 Upper back white, barred with dusky brown; scapu- 

 laries and mantle and wing-coverts brown, but the 

 scapularies white at base, the median coverts tipped 

 with greenish or silvery white ; lower back and rump 

 greenish-blue, dusky at foa-se of feathers ; upper tail 

 coverts and tail rufous, barred with black ; all except- 

 ing the central tail-feathers increasingly tipped with 

 wliite ; baeitard-wing, priniai-y-coverts, and flights 

 blackish, externally washed with dark green, primaries 

 white at ibase ; crown brown mottled on forehead with 

 rufous, crest- feathers with white margins ; a broad white 

 eyebrow -stripe extending to the nape, which it en- 

 circles ; Slides and back of neck also wihite, forming 

 a wide collar separated from the stripe on the nape by 

 a dark brown band continuous with the ear-coverts, 

 which are of that coloiu- ; lores blackish ; cheeks and 

 under surface dull white, the edges of the feathers, 

 especially on flanks and mider vnng and tail coverts 

 with dusky edges. Female with " more rufous on crown 

 and ear-coverts; lower back, rump and upper taii- 

 eoverts rufous, barred with black." (Sharpe.) She has 

 also a much shorter bill, broader at two-thirds from 

 the base.* Hab., Australia. 



Gould savs (" Hand,'book to the Birds of Australia," 

 Vol. I., pp'. 122, 123, 124):— "The Daceln r/igcis is a 

 bii-d with which every resident and traveller in New- 

 South Wales is mora or less familiar, for, independsntl.y 

 of its large size, its voice is so extraordinary as to be 

 uidike that of any other bird. In its disposition it i.i 

 \yy no means shy, and when any new objects are pre- 

 .sented to its notios, such as a party traversing the 

 bush, or pitching their tents in the vicinity of its 

 retreat, it becomes very prying and inquisitive, often 

 perching on the dead branch of some neighbourmg 

 tree, and watching with curiosity the kindling of the 

 fire and the preparation of the meal. Its presence, 

 however, is seldom detected until it emits its extra- 

 ordinaiy' gurgling, laughing note, which generally calU 

 forth eome exclamation according wnlh the temper of 

 the hearer, such as " There is our old friend the Laugh- 

 ing Jackass." or an epithet of a less friendlv character. 

 So remarkable are the sounds emitted by the biixl that 

 thev have been noted by nearly every writer on N en- 

 South Wales and its productions." 



" It frequents every variety of situation ; the luxu- 

 riant bushes stiretehing along the coast, the more thinly- 

 timbered forest, the belts of trees studding the parched 

 plains, and the bru.shes of the higher ranges bein<i alike 

 favoured with its presence ; over all these localities it 

 is rather thinlv dispersed, being nowhere very numerous- 



" Its food, which is of a mixed character, consists 

 exclusivelv of animal subistances ; reptiles, insects, and 

 crabs, however, appear to be its favourite diet : it de- 

 vours lizards with avidity, and it is not an untrequenb 

 sight to see it bearing oflf a snake in its bill to .be eaten 

 at leisure ; it also preys on small nrammalia. I recollect 

 fihooting a Great Browm Kingfisher in South Australia, 



* When examining the Museum ejrie® for my book, " How- 

 to Sex Cn!ie->iird5," I fail?d to notice the colour differeiicea 

 de.wrihed bv Dr. Sha-rpe, but no doubt they exist, though Gould 

 savs the sexes are " scarcely distinguishable from each other.' 



