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 HORSFIELD, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 172; 

 SHABPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 157; Hand-List (1900), 2, 

 51; GATES and REID, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 33; McGEEGOR and 

 WORCESTER, 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.' r (Bourns and Worcester M8.) 



