ALCEDINIDiE, KINGFISHERS. — GEN. 112. 187 



•, ti 112. Genus MOMOTUS Lesson. 



Blue-headed SaivhlV. Greenish, rather paler below ; purer on wings and 

 tail; the crested crown blue, encircled with black ; face mostly black. 15; 

 wing 5 J. Mexico. Bd., 161, pi. 46 c^ERULEiCErs. 



Family ALCEDINID^. Kingfisliers. 



Feet sjjndactyle hy cohesion of third and fourth toes; tomia simple. Bill long, 

 large, straight, acute (rarely hooked), " flssirostral," the gape being deep and wide ; 

 tongue rudimentary or very small ; nostrils basal, 

 reached by the frontal feathers. Feet very small and 

 weak, scarcely or not ambulatorial ; tarsi extremely 

 short, reticulate in front ; hallux short, flattened 

 underneath, its sole more or less continuous with the 

 sole of the inner toe ; soles of outer and middle toe 

 in common for at least half their length ; inner toe ^'-- ^■"- Synaactyie foot, 



alwaj's short, in one genus rudimentary, in another wanting (an abnormal modifica- 

 tion, overlooked in penning § 86, p. 49 ; but see § 84) ; wings long, of 10 primaries ; 

 tail of 12 rectrices, variable in shape. 



" The kingfishers form a very natural family of the great Picarian order, and are 

 alike remarkable for their brilliant coloration and for the variety of curious and 

 aberrant forms which are included within their number. . . ' Their characteristic 

 habit is to sit motionless watching for their prey, to dart after it and seize it on 

 the wing, and to return to their original position to swallow it.' . . The Alced- 

 inidce nest in holes and lay white eggs. It is, however, to be remarked that, in 

 accordance with a modification of the habits of the various genera, a corresponding 

 modification has taken place in the mode of nidiflcation, the piscivorous section 

 of the family nesting for the most part in holes in the banks of streams, while the 

 insectivorous section of the family generally nest in the holes of trees, not neces- 

 sarily in the vicinity of water." (Shaepe.) 



The nearest allies of the kingfishers are considered to be the hornbills and bee- 

 eaters of the Old World, and the sawbills and todies of the New. One would gain 

 an imperfect or erroneous idea of the family to judge of it by the American fragment, 

 of one genus and six or eight species. According to the author of the splendid 

 monograph just cited, there are in all 125 species, belonging to 19 genera; the 

 latter appear to be very judiciousl}' handled, but a moderate reduction of the former 

 will be required. They are very unequally distributed ; Ceryle alone is nearly 

 cosmopolitan, absent only from the Australian region ; the northern portion of the 

 Old World has only 2 peculiar species ; .3 genera and 24 species are characteristic 

 of the Ethiopian region, one genus and 25 species are confined to the Indian, while 

 no less than 10 genera and 59 species are peculiar to the Australian. IMr. Sharpe 

 recognizes two subfamilies ; in the Daceloninui (with 14 genera, and 84 sj^ecies) 

 the bill is more or less depressed with smooth, rounded or sulcate, culmen. In the 



Subfamihj ALCEDININ^F, 



the bill is compressed, with carinate culmen. The American species all belong here. 

 It is the more particularly piscivorous section; the Daceloninca feed for the most 

 part upon insects, reptiles, and land mollusks. 



