344 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIAXA. 



Genus MEGACERYLE Kaup. 



Mer/aceryle Kaup, Fam. Eisv. p. 8, 1848. Type M. maxima (Palla?) ; 

 Miller, Bull. Amer. Mus. Xat. Hist. xxxi. p. 287, pis. xxv., xxvi., 

 1912. 



The members of this genus are birds of large size, the -wing 

 being more than 150 mm. and the tail almost square. 



Keij to the Species. 



A. Smaller, win^ less than 180 ram. ; under 



tail-coverts white in both raale and female . J/, alcyon, p. 344. 



B. Larger, wing raore than 180 nun. ; under 



tall-coverts white in the male and chestnut 



in the female M. torquata, p. 345. 



221. Megaceryle alcyon. 



Belted Kingfisher. 



Alcedo alcyon Linn. Svst. Nat. 10th ed. i. p. llo, 1758 ^Carolina). 

 Ceryle alcyon Quelch, Timehri (2) x. p. 263, 1896 (Coast of British 



Guiana); Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 95, no. 897, 1912. 

 Meyareriile alcyon Miller, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. xxxi. p. 294, 



1912. 



Adult male. Head, back, wings, tail, and a band across tlio 

 breast pale slate-grey, the feathers spotted or edged Avith white on 

 the wings, tail, cheeks, and the band across the Vjreast ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, the quills more or less 

 marked with white, especially towards the base, the secondaries 

 slate-grey on the outer webs, the innermost almost entirely grey ; 

 inner webs of tail-feathers blackish barred with white ; head 

 crested ; a portion of the lower eyelid, a spot above and in front 

 of the eye, throat and a collar almost encircling the neck white, 

 as is also the breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts, axillaries, and 

 under wing-coverts, the greater series of the last and sides of the 

 body more or less marked with grey. 



Total length 315 mm., culmen 48, wing 162, tail 85, tarsus 10. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male, but differs in having a 

 chestnut band across the lower breast, which colour extends down 

 the sides of the body. ^Ving 15G mm. 



This species is not represented in the McConnell collection, and 

 the descrijitions are taken from specimens in the British Museum. 



