234 HALCYONIM. 



imagined that the beauty of the feathers had recommended 

 it to this sad pre-eminence, till, on inquiry, I was assured 

 that it served the purpose of a weather-vane ; and though 

 sheltered from the immediate influence of the wind, never 

 failed to show every change by turning its beak to the 

 quarter whence the wind blew." 



The Kingfisher is generally distributed over Great 

 Britain, but is not so numerous in Scotland as it appears 

 to be in Ireland. Muller includes it among the birds of 

 Denmark, but considers it rare : it does not appear to be 

 found in Sweden or Norway, nor in the more northern 

 parts of Scandinavia. Pennant says it inhabits the tempe- 

 rate parts of Russia and Siberia. It is found in Germany, 

 Holland, France, Spain, Provence, Italy, Sicily, and the 

 Morea. Mr. Hugh Strickland says it is common in 

 Smyrna ; the Zoological Society have received specimens 

 from Trebizond, and it inhabits the country between the 

 Black and the Caspian Seas. In Africa this species is found 

 as far south as Senegal. 



In form the Kingfisher is bulky, and heavy for its size 

 and length, reminding the observer of the powerful body 

 and short wings of the Dipper. The beak is about one inch 

 and a half long from its point to the feathers on the fore- 

 head, and two inches long from the point to the angle 

 formed by the gape ; both mandibles black, except the 

 base of the lower one, which is orange ; the irides red ; 

 lore and ear-coverts reddish brown ; behind the ear-coverts 

 on the lower part of the side of the neck, an elongated 

 white patch ; from the lower mandible a green stripe 

 passes under the eye, extending below the ear-coverts and 

 the white patch to the shoulder ; top of the head and back 

 of the neck dark green ; some of the feathers tipped with 

 verditer blue ; upper part of the back dark green ; lower 

 part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, verditer 



