ALCEDINID^E HALCYON 89 



their young. In the pit stood an old ladder, and shortly afterwards 

 he was surprised to find four large eggs lying on the ground at the 

 bottom of the pit below the rungs of the ladder from which they 

 had evidently been dropped. Doubtless the bird, having already 

 a young family, was embarrassed as to what to do with her fresh 

 eggs and so disposed of them in this manner. 



The Woodwards found these birds did well in captivity if sup- 

 plied with plenty of water and fed on a diet of finely-cut meat. 



419. Halcyon orientalis. Peters Kingfisher. 



Halcyon orientalis, Peters, Journ.f. Orn. 1868, p. 134 ; Sharpe, Monogr. 

 Alced. p. 181, pi. 66 (1869) ; id. ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 116, 807 

 (1875-84) ; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 238 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 117 (1896) ; 

 Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 104 [Zambesi] ; Sharpe,ibid. p. 115 [Beira 



distr.] . 



Description. Adult male. Closely resembling H. albiventris 

 but whiter below with only a slight tinge of pale ochreous-buff on 

 the sides of the body and under tail-coverts ; stripes on the flanks 

 and breast absent or faintly marked. 



Iris brown ; bill, legs, and feet coral-red. 



Length (measured in the flesh) 11-0 ; wing 4-1 ; tail 2-9 ; culmen 

 1-8. 



The female like that of H. albiventris, has a browner back and 

 head, and the blue of the wings and tail is of a more greenish tinge. 



Distribution. The type of this species was obtained by Dr. 

 Peters at Inhambane in Portuguese east Africa. It has also been 

 procured at Mapicuti, in the Cheringoma district north of Beira by 

 Cavendish, and on the Zambesi by Alexander. It is as yet uncer- 

 tain whether this or the preceding species inhabits Mashonaland. 

 Beyond our limits Peters' Kingfisher extends through east Africa 

 as far north as Lamu and Kilimanjaro in the east and Angola and 

 the Congo Free State in the west. 



& 



420. Halcyon chelicuti. Striped Kingfisher. 



,/evv- 



Alceclo chelicuti, Stanley, Salt's Exped. Abyss. App. p. 56 (1814). 



Alcedo striolata, Licht. Verz. Doiibl. p. 12 (1823). 



Halcyon damarensis, Strickland and Sclater, Contr. Ornith. 1852, p. 



153 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 290 [Limpopo]. 

 Halcyon striolata, KirTi, Ibis, 1864, p. 325 [Zambesi] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. 



p. 04 (1867) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 277. 



vi. - 



