ob'J CERYLE ALCYON. 



ORDER II. ALCRDINI. KINGFISHERS. 



Sternum with four marginal indentations, the two outer of which are quite deep but the 

 inner are shallow. Bill, long and stout, with a deep gape. 



This order is cliaracterisetl not only as described above, but by the long and pointed 

 wings and stout form. It will be seen that I have cntii'ely discarded the old order, Scan- 

 sores, as the characters presented by the members usually placed in this group are so 

 incongruous that I see no way of arranging them naturally and, in order to be perfectly 

 consistent, have raised the groups hitherto considered as sections or fauiilies, to the rank 

 of Orders. 



FAMILY I. CERYLID/E. THE CRESTED KINGFISHERS. 



Head, ^rested. The sexes differ in markings. Legs, short. Two outer toes, joined at 



Jhe base. 



GENUS I. CERYLE. THE BELTED KINGFISHERS. 



Gex. Cn. Keel, hii/her than one half the undth of the sternum. Coracoids, greatly exceeding one half the length of 

 the keel. Two outer toes Joined for one half the ha^al portion. 



Tlie colors of this genus are dull ia comparison with other membei-s of the family Iiut they are conspicuously banded 

 below. The young are born naked and acquire the feathers without any transitional downy stage. 



CERYLE ALCYON. 

 Belted Kingfisher. 



Cerijlr akymi Bi.iE, Isis; 182S, 310. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sr. Cn. Form, robust. Sizo, largo. Sternum, stout. Tongue, short, broad. Bat and somewhat fleshy, provided with 

 a triangular tip, yellow in color. Feathers of the crest, long, and loosely constructed. 



Color. Adult male. Upper portion of body, including upper wing and tail coverts, slaty-blue, darkest on the head. 

 Wings, black, with the outer portion of outer webs of secondaries, slaty-blue, and two thirds of the basal portion of inner 

 webs of all the feathers, spots and bai-s on the middle of the outer Webs of primaries, white. This color encroaches upon 

 the 1)lue of the of the inner webs of the secondaries in liars. The extreme tips of the two rows of wing coverts are also 

 white, forming indistinct bars. Primaries and secondaries, slightly tipped with white. Tail, black, with the two central 

 feathers and outer portion of outer webs, blue, with both webs of all but central pair, spotted and liarred with white. Be- 

 neath, including under wing and tail coverts, white, with a hand across breast, sides, and flanks, slaty-blue. There is a 

 white ring nearly around the neck, being interrupted on the nape by a bar of slaty-blue. Sides of the head, dark-slaty, 

 with a spot in advance of the eye and a crescent-shaped mark beneath it, white. 



Adult female. Similar to the male but with the central tail feathers barred similar to the others. There is a second 

 band of chestnut across the middle of tlie breast, and this color extends along the sides to the exclusion of the slaty-blue, 

 as far as the flanks which are slaty. 



Youni] male. Similar to tlie adult above but with the white tippings to the secondaries more extended. There is less 

 white on the wing coverts but the central tail feathers are barred as in the female. There is but one band below, the up- 

 ]ier, yet that is overwashed with cliestnut which also occupies the anterior portion of the sides, and the slaty of the remain- 

 ing portions are overwashed with it. 



Younrj female. With a duller bluish-slaty band on the breast, the chestnut markings are more extended and the col- 

 or on 'the top of the head is darker, being nearly black. 



Nestlings. At fiist the young are completely naked, then the feathers appear without any intermediate downy stage. 

 When the young are fully fledged, both sexes aresimilar and quite like the young male, for the female has only an indica- 

 tion of the chestnut bands. There is, however, more white on the wings, where it ajipears in irregular spots. The fcathew 

 of the crown are black, edged with bluish. Bill and feet, black in all stages. 



