ALCEDO. 307 
“Probably occurs abundantly on every island of the group. Found 
along the seashore, in mangrove swamps, and along banks of fresh-water 
streams in the open. Much less commonly met with along streams in the 
forest.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 
270. ALCEDO MENINTING Horsfield. 
MALAYAN KINGFISHER. 
Alcedo meninting HorsFIELp, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 172; 
SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 157; Hand-List (1900), 2, 
51; Oates and Rem, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1903), 3, 33; McGrecor and 
WorceEstTER, Hand-List (1906), 52. 
Balabac (Everett); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester) ; 
Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, White); Sulu (Guillemard) ; 
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester, Everett). Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, southern 
Tenasserim, Java, Borneo. 
“Adult male (type of species).—Above rich purplish blue; the entire 
back brilliant cobalt, changing to deeper blue on the lower rump and 
upper tail-coverts; wing-coverts black, washed with purplish blue, with 
a small spot of brighter blue near the end of each feather; quills black, 
secondaries externally purplish blue like the scapulars; tail black, washed 
with purplish blue; crown black, barred with purplish blue rather brighter 
than the shade of the back; hind neck beautiful purplish blue, with the 
black cross-bars more or less obsolete ; lores blackish, with a rufous supra- 
loral streak; sides of face, ear-coverts, and cheeks purplish blue like the 
crown, the feathers mottled with black bases; behind the ear-coverts a 
broad band of white, tinged with ocherous-buff ; throat white with a rufous 
wash; rest of under surface of body from the lower throat downwards 
chestnut-rufous, with a patch of purplish blue, lilac-tinged feathers on 
each side of the upper breast; under wing-coverts chestnut-rufous, a little 
paler than the breast. ‘Bill blackish brown; feet coral-red; iris brown.’ 
(Everett.) Length, 135; culmen, 42; wing, 65; tail, 27; tarsus, 9. 
“Adult female-—Exactly resembles the male in color, and has even the 
cheeks blue like the male. It appears, however, always to have the bill 
more or less red, and generally the greater part of the lower mandible is 
rufous. Length, 140; culmen, 42; wing, 66; tail, 27; tarsus, 6.” 
( Sharpe.) 
“Found chiefly along banks of fresh-water streams in forest. More 
rare In mangrove swamps and never seen by us along the seashore. Iris. 
dark brown; legs and feet deep scarlet; bill black, reddish at base of 
lower mandible. In a single case the bill was deep scarlet except base 
and culmen black. Seven birds average as follows: Length, 155; wing, 
64; tail, 28; culmen, 37; tarsus, 8.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 
