HALCYON. 133 



so roaming cry, almost always uttered during flight. It breeds 

 from March to July, laying 4 to 7 white rounded eggs in a 

 chamber at the end of the usual burrow, which is generally made 

 in the bank of a stream or tank, sometimes in a well, or on a 

 cliff. In Cachar, however, Mr. E. C. Steuart Baker has described 

 this bird as building a roughly constructed nest of moss amongst 

 rocks or large stones. The eggs measure on an average 1*13 

 by 1-03. 



1045. Halcyon pileata. The Black-capped Kingfisher. 



Alcedo pileata, Bodd. Tall. PL Enl p. 41 (1783). 



Alcedo atricapilla, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 453 (1788). 



Halcyon atricapillus, Blyth, Cat. p. 47; Lai/ard, A. M. N. H. (2) 



xii, p. 171; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 124; Jerclon, B. I. i, p. 226; 



Bearan, Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; 1869, p. 409 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 465 ; 



Hume, S. F. ii, p. 168 ; iv, p. 287. 

 Halcyon pileata, Sharjx, Mon. Ale. p. 169, pi. 62 ; Hume, S. F. ii, 



p. 470; xi, p. 45; id. Cat. no. 130; Artnstr. S. F. iv, p. 306; 



Bhith $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 70; Wardl.-Rams. Ibis, 1877, 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 100 ; Skarpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 229. 

 The Black-capped Purple Kingfisher, Jerdon. 



Fig. 37. Head of H. pileata, f . 



Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head black, a few white 

 feathers below the eye ; a broad white or buff collar round the 

 neck, followed by a blackish band ; scapulars, back, rump, upper 

 tail-coverts, upper surface of tail, outer webs of secondaries and 

 tertiaries outside, and greater primary-coverts deep blue, brighter 

 on the lower back and rump ; remainder of upper wing-coverts 

 black ; primary-quills black at the tips, the first primaries for half 

 their length, the inner primaries for less, basal portion white with 

 the outer web pale lilac, a little of the outer web beyond the lilac 

 part blue, secondaries black except on the dorsal surface of the 

 outer web outside ; chin, throat, and middle of breast white ; sides 

 of throat and breast and remainder of lower surface, with the 

 wing-lining, ferruginous buff ; tail black beneath. 



In young birds and in many females the breast-feathers have 

 dark borders, and there are black spots on the sides of the throat. 



