BELTED KINGSFISHER. 61 



rity for fair weather. It is neither venerated like those of the 

 Society isles, nor dreaded like those of some other countries; 

 but is considered merely as a bird that feeds on fish; is generally 

 fat; relished by some as good eating; and is now and then seen 

 exposed for sale in our markets. 



Though the Kingsfisher generally remains with us, in Penn- 

 sylvania, until the commencement of cold weather, it is seldom 

 seen here in winter; but returns to us early in April. In North 

 and South Carolina, I observed numbers of these birds in the 

 months of February and March. I also frequently noticed them 

 on the shores of the Ohio, in February, as high up as the mouth 

 of the Muskingum. 



I suspect this bird to be a native of the Bahama islands, as 

 well as of our continent. In passing between these isles and the 

 Florida shore, in the month of July, a Kingsfisher flew several 

 times round our ship, and afterwards shot off to the south. 



The length of this species is twelve inches and a half, extent 

 twenty; back and whole upper parts a light bluish slate colour; 

 round the neck is a collar of pure white, which reaches before 

 to the chin; head large, crested, the feathers long and narrow, 

 black in the centre, and generally erect; the shafts of all the 

 feathers, except the white plumage, are black; belly and vent 

 white; sides under the wings variegated with blue; round the 

 upper part of the breast passes a band of blue, interspersed with 

 some light brown feathers; before the eye is a small spot of 

 white, and another immediately below it; the bill is three inches 

 long, from the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp point- 

 ed, and black, except near the base of the lower mandible, and 

 at the tip, where it is of a horn colour; primaries, and interior 

 webs of the secondaries, black, spotted with white; the interior 

 vanes of the tail feathers elegantly spotted with white on a jet 

 black ground; lower side light coloured; exterior vanes blue; 

 wing-coverts and secondaries marked with small specks of white; 

 legs extremely short; when the bird perches it generally rests 

 on the lower side of the second joint, which is thereby thick 

 and callous; claws stout and black; whole leg of a dirty yellow- 



