ALCEDINID.E 



HALCYON 



87 



Halcyon albiyentris, .l//rr.s, Ibis, 1869, p. 290 [Limpopo] ; Sharpe, 

 Monogr. Ali-ed. p. 177, pi. 65 (1870) ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 364 

 [Limpopo] ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 68 [Durban] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's 

 B. S. Afr. pp. 115, 807 (1875-84) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 198 

 [Kustenbnrg] ; Ay res, Ibis, 1879, p. 292 ; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 303 

 (1881) ; Holnb & Pelzcln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 63 (1882) ; Butler, 

 Feilden, and Reid, Zool 1882, p. 207 [Ladysmith] ; Sliarpe, Cat. 

 B. M. xvii, p. 236 (1892) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 117 (1896) ; Eendall, 

 Ibis, 1896, p. 167 [Barberton] ; Sliarpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 497 [Zulu- 

 land] ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 93 (1899) ; Millar, Zool. 1899, 

 p. 148 ; Woodward Bros. Ibis, 1900, p. 520 [St. Lucia bay] . 



"Bush Kingfisher" of the colonists, " 'nongozolo " of Natal Zulus. 



FIG. 31. Halcyon albiventris. x |. 



Description. Adult male. Crown ashy-brown streaked profusely 

 with darker, round the neck a conspicuous dirty white collar, also 

 with brown streaks ; mantle and scapulars and most of the coverts 

 black, primary coverts blue tipped with black ; wing-quills blue 

 with black tips and pale ochre on the inner webs ; lower back, 

 rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers cobalt-blue, rather duller 

 on the tail ; lores, eyebrows, cheeks, and ear-coverts dirty-white 

 streaked with brown ; chin and throat pure white becoming a pale 

 fulvous on the lower breast, under wing-coverts, flanks, abdomen, 

 and lower tail-coverts ; wing and tail-quills dusky below. 



Iris brown ; bill red, black towards the tip ; legs and feet dark 

 red. 



Length about 8-40 ; wing 4-0; tail 2-60; culmen 1-70; tarsus 0-60. 



The female differs from the male, having the back brown not 

 black, the crown, on the other hand, is darker than that of the 



