458 IYNX ALCEDO 



bird. Its flight, when continued any distance in the open, 

 consists of a succession of bow-shaped lines. It feeds on 

 insects of various kinds, especially on ants, darting and with- 

 drawing its long tongue, when collecting them, with almost 

 lightning velocity. It breeds in the hole of a tree, not making 

 one for itself but selecting any suitable one, and in May 

 deposits on the bare wood or on the chips at the bottom of the 

 hole 7 to 9 and even 12 glossy white eggs, which measure 

 about 0-84 by 0'67. 



ALCEDO, Linn., 1766. 



657. THE KINGFISHER. 



ALCEDO ISPIDA. 



AlceJo isplda, Linn. Syst, Nat. i. p. 179 (1766) ; Naum. v. Tuf. 84, 

 figs. 1, 2 ; Hewitson, i. p. 255 pi. liv. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of E. ii. 

 pi. 61 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. ii. pi. 10 ; Newton, ii. p. 443 ; Dresser, 

 v. p. 113, pi. 290 ; Sharpe, Cat, B. Br. Mus. xvii. p. 141 ; Blanf. F, 

 Brit, Ind. Birds, iii. p. 122 ; Seebohm, B. Jap. Emp. p. 175 ; Saim- 

 ders, p. 279 ; Li] ford, ii. p. 14, pi. 6 ; A. bengalensis, Gmel. Syst. 

 Nat. i. p. 450 (1788) ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 74 ; Tacz. F. O. 

 Sib. O. p. 194. 



Martin-pecheur, French; Guarda-rios, Portug; Martin-pescador, 

 Span. ; Piombina, Ital. : Gemeiner Eisvogel, German ; Jjsvogel, 

 Dutch ; Isfugl, Norweg. and Dan. ;. Kungsfiskare, Swed. ;. 

 Zemorodok, Russ. ; ChotakHkila, Hindu. ; Khandu, Mahratta ; 

 Dane-nyin, Burm. ; Kawascmi, Jap.; Kandil-cl-behar, Moorish ; 

 Tur-d-achdar, Arab. 



ad. (England). Crown crested, dark green, barred with rich blue ; 

 upper back and scapulars green, but the lower back, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts rich cobalt blue ; tail deep, almost indigo blue ; greater wing, 

 coverts tipped with rich cobalt blue ; space before the eye and earcoverts 

 light chestnut ; from the base of the mandible to the sides of the breast a 

 dark green line barred with blue ; chin, throat, and a patch on each side 

 of the neck white tinged with fulvous ; rest of the under parts rich chest- 

 nut ; bill black, but orange at the base below ; legs deep reddish ; iris 

 brown. Culmen 1*7, wing 2'95, tail 1'5, tarsus 0'3 inch. The female 

 differs only in being rather greener, and the young bird is darker and 

 duller, has the bill shorter and all black, the legs blackish grey tinged 

 with red. 



Hob. Europe generally, north to Gefle in Sweden, but not 

 found in Finland; North Africa, Madeira, and the Canaries; 

 Asia north to Lake Baikal, east to Corea and Japan, south to- 

 N. China ; Burma, Sind, Baluchistan, and Persia. 



