P I C A ft I M. 

 ALCEDINID.E. 



Subfam. HALCYONIN.E. 



Bill shorter, much broader at the base, and less compressed than in the last subfamily ; 

 lower mandible very deep at the gonys-angle, with the gonys ascending in a curve to the tip. 

 Wings more rounded, the 1st quill shorter, and the tips of the primaries not reaching, when 

 closed, to half the length of the tail. 



Mostly of large size, and, to a great extent, reptile feeders. 



Genus PELAEGOPSIS. 



Bill very large, stout, the culmen flat and perfectly straight to the tip ; groove pronounced 

 and parallel to the ridge. Nostrils slightly advanced, gape angulated ; gonys deep and ascending 

 in a curve to the tip. Wings with the 3rd quill the longest, and the 1st much shorter than the 

 5th. Tail rather long and even ; tibia bare in front above the knee ; tarsus stout ; toes scutellate, 

 the outer and middle subequal, but the middle claw much longer than the outer; claws deep 

 and expanded at the sides. 



Of large size. 



PELARGOPSIS GURIAL, 



(THE INDIAN STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER.) 



Halcyon gnrial, Pearson, J. A. S. B. 1841, x. p. 633; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 47. 



no. 200 (1849), et Ibis, 1865, p. 30. 

 Halcyon capensis, Jerd. Madr. Journ. 1840, Cat. no. 245, p. 231 ; Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. 



p. 118 (1851); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 177; Legge, Ibis, 1874. 



p. 14. 

 Halcyon brunniceps, Jerdon, 2nd Suppl. Cat. Madr. Journ. 1844, p. 143. 

 Halcyon leucocephalus, Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. p. 123 (1854); Jerdon, Birds 



of Ind. i. p. 222. 

 Pelargopsis gurial, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hem. ii. p. 156 (1860) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 66; 



id. Mon. Alced. pi. 34 (1868-71) ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 423 ; Legge, Ibis, 



1875, p. 275 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 105 (1873) ; Ball, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 386. 

 The Gurial Kingfisher, Latham, Hist. iv. p. 12 ; The Cape Kingfisher, Kelaart ; Brown- 



headed Kingfisher, Jerdon ; Gurial, Beng. ; Alcyone, Portuguese in Ceylon. 

 Maha pelihuduiva, lit. "Great Kingfisher," also Waturanuioa, Sinhalese. 



Adult male. Length 14 - 75 to 15 - 3 inches ; wing 5 - 75 to 5 - 9 ; tail 3 - 75 to 4'0 ; tarsus 0*7 ; middle toe 1*0, its claw 

 (straight) 0-42 ; outer toe 1-0, its claw (straight) 0-3 ; bill to gape 3-6 to 3'75, depth at gonys-angle 0-8, 



