PELARGOPSIS. 303 



returning to its perch. Often seen flying about actively just after dark, 

 like a night hawk." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



This roller is easily identified by its gaudy plumage, bright red bill, and 

 peculiar jerky flight; there is no other Philippine species resembling it. 



Suborder HALCYONES. 

 Family ALCEDINID^. 



Bill long, strong, and pointed, never hooked; culmen rounded or 

 slightly flattened, straight or nearly so; nostrils small, reached by frontal 

 feathers; wings and tail moderate, the latter slightly rounded; tarsus 

 short; feet weak; front toes more or less united. The two subfamilies 

 will not be considered here as their differences are very slight. 



Genera. 

 a 1 . Tail longer than culmen. 



6 1 . Bill compressed ; culmen flattened ; a groove on each side from nostril parallel 



to culmen; length of bird, 350 mm. or more Pelargopsis (p. 303) 



ft 2 . Bill little if at all compressed; culmen rounded; groove parallel to culmen 



shallow or absent; length of bird, 300 mm. or less Halcyon (p. 318) 



a 2 . Tail shorter than culmen. 



6 1 . Toes four Alcedo (p. 305) 



6 2 . Toes three; forest inhabiting. 



c 1 . Bill more slender and more compressed; the species usually found near 

 streams Alcyone (p. 308) 



c 2 . Bill stouter and less compressed ; the species- usually found away from 

 water in forest or in thickets ,. Ceyx (p. 311) 



Genus PELAEGOPSIS Gloger, 1842. 



Large, length 300 mm. or more ; bill bright red, very large and strong ; 

 culmen flattened and perfectly straight; a well-marked groove on each 

 side of bill from nostril to near tip of bill, back and rump pale blue, 

 lower parts buff, tail much longer than bill. 



Species. 



a 1 . Back and wings deep ultramarine blue; lower back rich cobalt. 



javana (p. 303) 

 a 3 . Back and wings bluish green ; lower back greenish cobalt. 



ft 1 . Head, neck, and under parts rich deep ocherous gouldi (p. 304) 



6 2 . Head whitish ; hind neck and under parts pale ocherous-bun". 



gigantea (p. 305) 



266. PELARGOPSIS JAVANA (Boddaert). 



BORNEAN STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo javana BODDAERT, Tabl. PL Enl. (1783), 47. 



Pelargopsis leucocephala STEERE, List Bds. & Mams. Steere Exped. ( 1890), 9; 

 SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 98; Hand-List (1900), 

 2, 48; MCGREGOR and WORCESTER, Hand-List (1906), 51. 

 Mindoro ( Steere Exp. ) ; Palawan ( Whitehead, Steere Exp. ) . Borneo. 



