70 



crown ; nuchal collar indistinct and largely marked with brown ; plumage of the upper parts darker 

 than in the adult ; the wing-coverts margined with yellow, in the form of narrow crescentic bands. 



Progress towards maturity. Tints of the plumage brighter ; the loral spots bright fulvous ; the sides, flanks, 

 lining of wings, and under tail-coverts bright fawn-colour; pectoral zone indistinct, the dark margins 

 being very narrow ; nuchal collar well defined and almost pure white. The full adult dress is not 

 attained till after the second or third moult. 



Obs. I have not considered it necessary to give a portrait of this extremely common species. A life-size 

 drawing appeared in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror;' and both adult and young arc well figured 

 in Mr. R. B. Sharpe's beautiful 'Monograph of the Alcedinidse,' which ought to be in every library. 



Much difference of opinion has existed as to whether this bird is really distinct from the Halcyon 

 sancta of Australia. Mr. R. B. Sharpe, in his ' Monograph of the Kingfishers,' pronounces it a 

 good species, being " always of a more robust size, and having the colours much less bright 

 than the Australian bird." Professor Schlegel and Dr. Finsch have united it to //. sancta ; 

 but, in a letter which I lately received from the latter of these experienced ornithologists, he 

 admits that the species is quite distinct, adding that his former conclusions were based on two 

 specimens only, whereas now he has obtained a good series of skins. I have always contended for 

 the recognition of Halcyon vagans ; and the question may now be considered fairly set at rest. 



In habits the two species are very much alike. The New-Zealand bird is very generally 

 dispersed, being met with in all suitable localities. It frequents alike the sea-shore, the open 

 country, forest-clearings, and the banks of fresh-water streams. It is, moreover, one of those 

 birds that seem instinctively to resort to the habitations of man ; and instead of, like many other 

 indigenous species, decreasing, it thrives and multiplies under the altered physical conditions 

 resulting from the colonization of the country. It seeks out the new home of the settler, and 

 becomes the familiar " companion of his solitude." During the winter months especially, it 

 resorts to cultivated grounds in quest of grubs and worms, which at this season constitute its 

 principal food. In the early morn it may be seen perched on the fences, gateways, and out- 

 buildings of the farmyard, sitting upright with contracted neck, looking stiff and rigid in the cold 

 frosty air ; and as the day advances, it enlivens the landscape by its darting flight, while it attracts 

 notice by its shrill, quickly repeated call, which is not unlike the note of the European Kestrel. 

 In the pairing-season this species becomes very noisy and lively, the mated birds chasing each 

 other, in amorous play, from tree to tree or from post to post with loud unmusical cries, some- 

 thing like the syllables cree-cree-cree uttered in quick succession. They breed late in the year ; 

 the brood numbers five or six ; and for several weeks after quitting the nest the young family keep 

 together. This will probably account for the abundance of Kingfishers in the autumn months, 

 which has been regarded by some as indicating a seasonal migration. 



The flight of this species is short, rapid, and direct, being performed by a quick vibration of 

 the wings. It flies with considerable velocity ; and I have known several instances of its dashing 

 headlong through a pane of glass. On one occasion this occurred in the church at Raglan during 

 divine service ; and the Kingfisher, after recovering from the shock, remained to the last perched 

 on the end of a pew, looking more devout, says our correspondent, than the Jackdaw of Rheims ! 



