THE KINGFISHER FAMILY. 349 



red. The female is coloured like the male, but can always be told by the red colour at the base 

 of the under mandible. This is also present in young birds of both sexes, but the latter can 

 readily be distinguished by their shorter bills. 



Species of the genus Alcedo are distributed over the greater part of the Old World, extend- 

 ing even into the Molucca Islands, but in Australia and the Papuan group they are represented by 

 the genus Alcyone, comprising Kingfishers of similar form to the English bird, but distinguished by 

 the absence of the inner toe. In Africa and Madagascar some beautiful little crested King- 

 fishers (Corythornis) are met with, the largest of which scarcely exceeds five inches in length. 

 A very familiar species on the banks of the Nile is the Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle * rudis), one of the 

 commonest birds in Africa and India, and of this species Dr. von Heuglin writes f : " It lives 

 in pairs, is sociable, and, except during the breeding season, more friendly with members of its 

 own species than other Kingfishers, and often several pairs dwell in the same neighbourhood. It 

 sits and watches along the shore on overhanging branches, on roofs, walls, brickets, rocks, and even 

 on the ground, but seldom pounces from the latter on its prey. From time to time it takes a flight 

 over shallow clear water, also right across the river or from one island to another, sometimes very 

 low, generally, however, several fathoms above the surface. Its flight is not very swift, but straight, 

 and steadied by quick, fluttering motions of the wing not rushing, like that of Alcedo ispida and 

 it rises and falls according to will and with great agility. One often sees it, after taking a start 

 by several quick flaps of the wing, and gliding on for a distance, suddenly, with one quick 

 movement, alter the direction of the flight and suddenly stop and hover. When hovering, the bill 

 is held straight down, and the hind part of the body and tail also rather lowered. Directly it 

 catches sight of its scaly prey it turns up, lays its feathers close to the body, and drops like a stone 

 into the water, remaining often over ten seconds below the surface. It seldom misses its mark, and 

 devours the fish it has captured either on the wing or at one of its resting-places. The voice is a 

 shrill whistle, at the same time chirpy, or at times snickery. During the pairing time the males 

 often fight on the wing, and roll together, calling loudly, nearly to the surface of the water. In 

 Egypt the breeding season is our spring ; according to Adams, as early as December. The nest, con- 

 sisting of a small heap of clean dry grass, is placed in a horizontal hole about arm's depth in a steep 

 bank, and contains four to six pure white roundish eggs, the shell of which is rather rough compared 

 with that of A Icedo ispida. Often several nest-holes are close together. The plumage of the young 

 much resembles that of the adult. There is scarcely any bird on the Nile tamer than the Black and 

 White Kingfisher." The genus Ceryle, to which the foregoing species belongs, is largely represented in 

 the New World, one of the best known being the Belted Kingfisher of North America, and an unusual 

 circumstance in fish-eating Kingfishers is characteristic of the genus, viz., a difference in the colouring 

 of the sexes. The Stork-billed Kingfishers (Pelargopsisty are the most powerful members of the 

 sub-family, some of them measuring nearly a foot and a half in length. 



More difference in form and size is perceptible in the omnivorous Kingfishers (Dacelonince), 

 where some of the little three-toed species of Ceyx do not exceed five inches in length, whereas the 

 Great Laughing Jackasses of Australia (Dacelo) attain the dimensions of more than a foot and a half. 

 The smaller birds of this section feed almost entirely on insects, and the Rose-cheeked Kingfisher of 

 Africa (Ispidinapicta) feeds principally on Grasshoppers and small Locusts, while its representative 

 in Natal (/. natalensis) is said to feed entirely on Butterflies and insects caught on the wing. They 

 are often found along the banks of rivers, but never catch fish. The large genus Halcyon is dis- 

 tributed all over Africa, and ranges throughout Southern Asia, through China, to Japan, inhabiting 

 also the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the entire Continent of Australia. These birds prefer 

 a mixed diet, and, in addition to an occasional fish, they will also eat Crustacea, small reptiles, and 

 insects. Perhaps the most beautiful of all the Kingfisher family are the Tanysipterce, \\ which are 

 found only in New Guinea, the adjacent Moluccas, and the noi-th-east peninsula of Australia, 

 These birds have only ten tail-feathers, the middle pair being very much longer than the rest, and 

 ending in a spatule or racket. They live entirely in the forests, feeding on insects, and they are said 

 to roost in the holes of rocks by the side of small streams. The best known species of Tanysiptera 



* KnpuXos, a sea-bird of the halcyon kind. f " Ornithologie Nord Ost Afrikas," p. 185. 



I n-eXapTo?, a stork ; w\li, a face. Diminutive of Ispida, a Kingfisher. [| ravva, to stretch ; irrepov, a wing. 



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