KINGFISHERS. 



107 



According to Monteiro (Sharpe and Layard, ' Birds 

 of South Africa," p. 554), this species " feeds on wild 

 fruits, principally on that of a wild fig-tree very abun- 

 dant all over the country, and called Macuzo ; flies 

 slowly, generally in threes, and fours together, uttering 

 a disagreeable note." 



Three examples arrived at the London Zoological 

 Gardens in 1876. 



CAPE COLY (Colius colius).* 



Above darkish lilacine grey with a white dorsal line 

 to the rump, bounded on both sides by a broad black 

 band, and succeeded on lower rump by a maroon patch ; 

 flights brown, grey externally ; upper tail-coverts and 

 tail grey, the outer feathers with white edges ; sides 

 of head and throat lilacine grey, shading into pinkish 

 on breast and sides ; abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 buff ; lesser and median under wing-coverte wllite, 

 greater coverts black ; bill 'bluish white or pale blue 

 at base; tip of maxilla bla-ck, of mandible yellowish - 

 brown ; feet coral-red, claws black ; irides and small 

 orbital ring black. Female larger than male, with 

 longer and more tapering beak. 



According to Messrs. Stark and Sclater ("Birds of 

 South Africa," Vol. III., pp. 98, 99), this bird closely 

 resembles C. striatus in habits. "It is gregarious; it 

 rooste in companies congregated into a ball ; it loves 

 thick 'bush, where it will creep about like a Parrot, using 

 both bill and claws, and often hanging with its head 

 downwards without inconvenience. It is essentially a 

 fruiit-eater, though stated by Anderson not to despise 

 insects and voung shoots of plants when its regular foorl 

 is scarce. Its note is a harsh chatter, syllabled by Le 

 Vaillant as 'qui ve, qui ve,' to which it gives vent 

 when flying from one tree to another. Its flesh is very 

 palatable. Nests of this -species have been taken by 

 Anderson on September 26. October 16. and Decem- 

 ber 29 ; they were usually 'built in. a bush, and were 

 composed externally of grass and twigs, lined internally 

 with softer grass. In each case there were three eggs. 

 No mention is made of a lining of fresh green leaves, 

 such as is found in that of the Speckled Mouse-bird. 



" The eggs are dirty white and chalky, like those 

 of th'- 1 preceding species, and mea.sure 0.90 x ftS." 



This is a frequently imported species, which first 

 arrived at the London Zoological Gardens in 1885. 



KINGFISHERS (Alcedinidce). 



These 'beautiful birds have been regarded by some 

 ornithologists as related to the Hornbills, to which ex- 

 ternally they offer very little resemblance. Professor 

 Newton was of opinion that they were probably more 

 nearly related to the Jacamar, Motmots, Bee-eaters, and 

 perhaps some other families, and it is evident that Dr. 

 Sharpe considered them (in his catalogue) as nearly 

 related to the Motmote, Todies, and Colies, since he 

 associated the four groups in one sab-order Halcyones. 



Dr. Sharpe, in his beautiful monograph of the King- 

 fishers, divided these birds into two sub-families 

 Alcedinince, in which the bill is long and slender, com- 

 pressed, and perceptibly keeled. Habits mainly pisci- 

 vorous ; and Dacelonince, in which the bill is more or 

 less depressed ; the culmen rounded or flattened, some- 

 times even grooved. Habits mainly insectivorous or 

 reptilivorous. Of these two it is obvious that the latter 

 would be more easy to keep in captivity ; nevertheless 

 even our common European Kingfisher has been kept 



* I must say I much prefer the name Colius capengis for this 

 species; the repetition of the generic name, indicating 1 the 

 laziness of Gmelin in not inventing' a n-ew name for the genue, 

 is irritating ; but what can one do? 



with varying success by different aviculturists. The 

 difficulty of providing a sufficient quantity of email 

 living fish to keep the birds in vigorous health and the 

 question of space for needful exercise are the two chief 

 objections to keeping piscivorous species ; an extensive 

 aviary enclosing a fair amount of water is what is 

 needed. 



Dr. RUBS, very improperly, I think, excludes the- 

 Kingfishers from his work. 



LAUGHING KINGFISHER (Dacelo gigas). 

 Upper back white, barred with dusky brown ; scapu- 

 laries and mantle and wing-coverts brown, but the 

 scapularies white at 'base, t-ne median coverts tipped 

 with greenish or silvery white ; lower back and rump 

 greenish-blue, dusky at 'base of feathers ; upper tail 

 coverts and tail rufous, barred with black ; all except- 

 ing the central tail-feathers increasingly tipped with 

 white ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and flights 

 blackish, externally washed with dark green, primaries 

 white at ibase ; crown brown mottled on forehead with 

 rufous, crest-feathers with white margins ; a broad white 

 eyebrow-stripe extending to the nape, which it en- 

 circles ; sides and back of neck also white, forming 

 a wide collar separated from the stripe on the nape by 

 a dark <brown band continuous with the ear-coverts, 

 which are of that colour ; lores 'blackish ; cheeks and 

 under surface dull white, the edges of the feathers, 

 especially on flanks and under Aving and tail coverts 

 with dusky edges. Female with " more rufous on crown 

 and ear-coverts; lower back, rump and upper tail- 

 coverts rufous, barred with black." (Sharpe.) She has 

 also a much shorter bill, broader at two-thirds from 

 the base.* Hab., Australia. 



Gould says (" Hand'book to the Birds of Australia," 

 Vol. I., pp". 122, 123, 124): "The Dacelo gigas is a. 

 bird with which every resident and traveller in New 

 South Wales is more or less familiar, for, independently 

 of its large size, its voice is so extraordinary as to be 

 unlike that of any other bird. In its disposition it da 

 by no means shy, and when any new objects are pre- 

 sented to its notice, such as a party traversing the 

 bush, or pitching their tents in the vicinity of its 

 retreat, it becomes very prying and inquisitive^ often 

 perching on the dead branch of some neighbouring 

 tree, and watching with curiosity the kindling of the 

 fire and the preparation of the meal. Its presence, 

 however, is seldom detected until it emits its extra- 

 ordinary* gurgling, laughing note, which generally calh 

 forth some exclamation according with the temper of 

 the hearer, such as " There is our old friend the Laugh- 

 ing Jackass," or an epithet of a less friendlv character. 

 So remarkable are the sounds emitted by the bird that 

 they have been noted by nearly every writer on New 

 South Wales and its productions." 



" It frequents every variety of situation ; the luxu- 

 riant bushes stretching along the coast, the more thinly- 

 timbered forest, the belts of trees studding tbe_ parched 

 plains, and the brushes of the higher ranges beinsr alike 

 favoured with its presence ; over all these localities it 

 is rather thinlv dispersed, being nowhere very numerous- 



" Its food, which is of a mixed character, consists 

 exclusively of animal substances ; reptiles, insects, and 

 crabs, however, appear to be it<s favourite diet : it de- 

 vours lizards with avidity, and it is not an unfrequent 

 sight to see it bearing off a snake in its bill to be eaten 

 at leisure ; it also preys on small mammalia. I recollect 

 shooting a Great Brown Kingfisher in South Australia, 



* When examining the Museum eerie for my book, " How 

 to Sex Cage-birds," I failed to notice the colour differences 

 described by Dr. Sharpe, but no doubt they exist, though Gould 

 i-av^ the sexes are " scarcely distinguishable from each other." 



