166 BIRDS OF EGYPT. 



throughout Egypt. I have myself seen it above Cairo upon 

 three occasions, at Sioot, Koos, and Thebes. 



Head crested ; top of the head and nape black, closely 

 barred with cobalt ; lores and ear-coverts light chestnut ; a 

 patch behind the ear-coverts along the neck piu-e white ; 

 cheeks blue ; centre of the back and upper taU-coverts bril- 

 liant cobalt ; quills dusky, the outer web greenish blue ; 

 scapulars and wing-coverts green, the latter spotted with 

 cobalt ; tail blue ; throat white ; remainder of the underparts 

 light chestnut, with the exception of a blue patch on each 

 side of the upper part of the breast. 



In the male the bill is entirely black, while in the female 

 it has an orange patch on the lower mandible. Legs red ; 

 irides dark brown. 



Entire length 6-6 to 6*8 inches; culmen 1-55 to 17; 

 wing, carpus to tip, 2 9; tarsus 0-4. 



The description is taken from five Egyptian specimens in 

 my own collection. 



Fig. Sharpe, Monogr. Alced. pi. 1. 



144. Alcedo BENGALENSis, Gm. Little Indian Kingfisher. 



This species, which chiefly differs from A. ispida in the 

 greater length of its bill, may occasionally be met with both 

 in Egypt and Nubia. Mr. Sharpe in his ' Monograph of the 

 Kingfishers,' Part ix., has described a specimen of this 

 bird killed by Mr. Lord at Shoobra, near Cairo, and he re- 

 marks that there is a specimen from Nubia in the Leyden 

 Museum. Mr. Larking also obtained a specimen in Egypt. 

 I believe it to be by no means so common there as A. ispida. 



