HALCYON. 319 



281. HALCYON COROMANDUS (Latham). 

 RUDDY KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo coromanda LATHAM, Ind. Orn. (1790), 1, 252. 



Halcyon coromandus SHABPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 217; 

 Hand-List (1900), 2, 56; GATES and RIED, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 

 3, 37; MCGREGOR and WORCESTER, Hand-List (1906), 54. 



Sa-luc-sac, Calayan. 



Batan (Edmonds) ; Calayan (McGregor) ; Camiguin N. (McGregor) ; Guimaras 

 (Steere Exp.) ; Luzon (Steere Exp., Whitehead, Bourns d Worcester) ; Masbate 

 (Bourns & Worcester)-, Mindanao (Everett, Celestino) ; Mindoro (McGregor); 

 Palawan (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, White) ; Sibuyan (Bourns & Wor- 

 cester) ; Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Sangi and Liu Kiu Islands, Indo- 

 Chinese countries, Malay Peninsula, eastern Himalayas, China, Japan, Korea, 

 Formosa, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes. 



Adult male. Above, including wings and tail, dark rufous, heavily 

 washed with violet; on lower back, rump, and tail-coverts a narrow; stripe 

 of silvery white, slightly washed with blue; below dark cinnamon-buff, 

 chin whitish; throat, breast, and under tail-coverts washed with violet. 

 Bill, legs, and nails bright coral-red; iris brown. Length of a specimen 

 from Camiguin, 250; wing, 116; tail, 72; culmen from base, 57; 

 tarsus. 15. 



Female. Much less violet wash on upper parts and very little or none 

 on lower parts. Length of a specimen from Calayan, 270; wing, 119; 

 tail, 74; culmen from base, 55; tarsus, 15. 



Young. Lower parts lighter, chin more extensively, whitish, violet 

 wash less, and feathers of throat and breast edged with blackish brown 

 forming numerous small crescents. 



"Probably ranges throughout the Philippines, but is as yet noted from 

 but few of the islands. It is sometimes found in deep woods away from 

 water, but more commonly along the banks of wooded streams and in 

 mangrove swamps. It is usually shy and hard to shoot, but in Sibuyan 

 two individuals of this species took up their abode in the bamboos in 

 our back yard, apparently attracted by the flesh of land shells thrown out 

 as we cleaned our specimens. In several islands where we met with this 

 species we obtained but a single specimen. 



"Bill, legs, and feet scarlet; nails bright red or orange-red; iris very 

 dark brown. Food crabs, in four cases. Seven males measured, 258 in 

 length; wing, 111; tail, 63; culmen, 58; tarsus, 15; middle toe with 

 claw, 25. Four females : Length, 253 ; wing, 109 ; tail, 64 ; culmen, 56 ; 

 tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 25." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



