ALCEDO ISPIDA 49 



Family ALCEDINID^. 



ALCEDO ISPIDA, Linnaeus. 

 KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo ispida, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 179 (1766) ; Sharjic, Cat. Birds Brit. 



Mus. xvii, p. 141; Malherhe, Faune Orn. de I'AUj. p. 10 (1855); 



Lochc, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ols. ii, p. 94 (1867) ; Kocnig, J. f. 0. 1892, 



p. 367 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1896, p. 97. 

 A. ispida spatzi, Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1900, p. 7. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, Ghardimaou, North Tunisia. 



Forehead, crown, nape, moustache, win^s and scapulars dull bluish- 

 green, barred and spotted to a great extent with light greenish-blue; back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts l)right azure-blue, tail dark blue ; lores and ear- 

 coverts chestnut ; a small stripe running from the base of the upper 

 mandible towards the eye black ; entire throat, and a patch on each side of 

 the neck buffy-white ; remainder of underparts chestnut, slightly paler on 

 the centre of the abdomen. 



Iris black ; bill dai'k brown above, orange below ; feet reddish-orange. 



Total length 7 inches, wing 2'95, culmen 1-60, tarsus 'Sa. 



Adult female resembles the male, but is rather duller in colouring. 



The Kingfisher occurs more or less sparingly throughout the 

 greater part of Tunisia, and is naturally more often met with in the 

 well-watered districts of the north than in the arid regions of the 

 south of the Eegency. Although nowhere abundant, according to 

 Blanc, a good many examples are obtained during the autumn and 

 winter months in the immediate vicinity of the town of Tunis. 



Unfortunately, like many other brightly-plumaged birds, the 

 present species is in great request pour la mode, not only amongst 

 Paris milliners, but generally on the Continent, and in Tunis it is not 

 more respected than elsewhere. 



In Algeria and Marocco the Kingfisher seems to be rather more 

 abundant than it is in Tunisia, and in some of the well-watered 

 districts of those countries, where the species is resident and breeds, 

 it is more or less common. In Tunisia the bird is both resident and 

 migratory. It undoubtedly breeds both north and south of the Atlas, 

 and Baron v. Erlanger found a nest containing nearly full-grown nest- 

 lings on the Oued Gafsa, while Mr. Aplin constantly met with King- 



4; VOL. II. 



