KINGFISHERS 269 



twigs and were lined with various soft material such as catkins. 

 Gnaphalium, soft skeletonized leaves and other soft vegetable 

 fiber. 



Occasionally there have been reports of the eggs being found 

 in the nests of other birds such as Yellow Warbler, Chipping 

 Sparrow, Wood Pewee, etc., but such cases are rather excep- 

 tional, at least in Maine. Only one brood is reared here. 

 The number of eggs found in a nest has been stated as varying 

 from two to seven, but two or three seems to be most often the 

 number I have met with in Maine. The species calls very much 

 just before an approaching shower or storm, which explains 

 the reason for its being called Rain Crow and Milk Sourer. 



Suborder ALCYONES. Kingfishers. 



Family ALCEDINID.E. Kingfishers. 

 Genus CERYLE Boie. 



Subgenus STREPTOCERYLE Bonaparte. 



390. Ceryle alcy on (lAnn.'). Belted Kingfisher; Lazy Bird. 



Plumage of adult male : above bluish gray with more or less white spots 

 and white tips to wing feathers and white inner webs of primaries, and the 

 tail spotted and with bar like patches of white ; a continuous bluish gray 

 band across the breast, sides same color ; otherwise below white, the white 

 of throat extending around neck nearly to its back. Plumage of adult 

 female: differs from male in being rufous on sides and with a partially 

 completed band of same on belly. Feathers of crown forming an erectable 

 crest. Wing 6.20 ; culmen 2.10. 



Geog. Dist. — North America, breeding from Florida to Labrador, Hudson 

 Bay, Behring Sea and Arctic Ocean ; wintering from Oregon, Washington 

 and southern New England to Panama and the West Indies. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; common summer resident, (Johnson). 

 Aroostook; fairly common summer resident, (Knight). Cumberland; com- 

 mon summer resident, (Mead). Franklin; common summer resident, (Lee 

 and McLain). Hancock; fairly common summer resident, breeds along the 

 coast among the islands, (Knight). Kennebec; common summer resident, 

 (Gardiner Branch). Knox; summer, (Rackliff). Oxford; common, breeds, 

 (Nash). Penobscot; breeds commonly along the Penobscot River and else- 

 where throughout the County, (Knight). Piscataquis; common, breeds, 

 (Homer). Sagadahoc; common summer resident, (Spinney). Somerset; 



