470 



SYSTEMA TIC SYNOPSIS. — PICABI^ — CUCULIFOUMES. 



Large specieB, dull blue above , 

 Small specieB, glossy green above 



alcyon 423 

 cabanisi 424 



423. C. al'cyon. (Lat. alcyon, a kingfisher. Fig. 321.) 

 Belted Kingfisher. Upper parts, broad pectoral 

 bar, and sides under the wings, dull blue with fine 

 black shaft lines. Lower eyelid, spot before eye, a 

 cervical collar and under parts except as said, pure 

 white ; the 9 with a chestnut belly-band and the sides 

 of the same coloiv Quills and tail-feathers black, spec- 

 kled, blotched or hawed on the inner webs with white ; 

 outer webs of the secondaries and tail-feathers like the 

 back : wing-coverts frequently sprinkled with white. 

 Bill black, pale at base below. Feet dark ; tibiae 

 naked below. A long, thin, pointed occipital crest; 

 plumage compact and oily to resist water, into which 

 the birds constantly plunge after their finny prey. 

 Length 12.00-13.00; extent 21.00-23.00; wing 6.00- 

 6.50; tail 3.50-5.00; whole foot 1.33; culmen 1.75- 

 2.25. N. Am., common everywhere, resident or only 

 forced southward by freezing of the waters. This fine 

 bird, whose loud rattling notes are as familiar sounds 

 along our streams as the noise of the uiill-dam or the 

 machinery, burrows to the depth of six or eight feet in the ground, and lays as many crystal 

 white spheroidal eggs, 1.25 X 1-05, at the enlarged extremity of the tunnel. 



424. C. america'na caba'nisi. (To Dr. Jean Cabanis, of Germany.) Texan Green King- 

 fisher. Adult (J Entire upper parts glossy-green, with bronze lustre, the bases of nearly 

 all the feathers snowy- white, which appears sometimes upon the surface ; crown, scapulars and 

 wing-coverts superficially sprinkled with white. Wing-quills dusky on inner webs, green on 

 the outer, both marked iu regular double series with pairs of white spots, scallops or bars. 

 Central tail-feathers dark green, usually touched with white along the edges, the others green 

 with white bars becoming confluent at the bases of the feathers, where forming white spaces 

 more extensive than the green portion. Cervical collar and entire under parts white, the breast, 

 belly, sides and crissum spotted with glossy-green. Bill black, usually light at base below ; 

 feet dark. A supposed 9 differs in having the green-spotted plumage of the under parts and 

 adjoining white area tinged with chestnut. Length about 8.00; wing 3.25-3.50; tail-2.50 ; 

 bill 1.67; whole foot 1.00. Valleys of the Lower Eio Grande and Colorado, and southward; 

 common. Nesting and eggs as in C. alcyon; eggs 4-6, very thin and smooth, like porcelain, 

 rounded oval, 0.90-1.00 X 0.68-0.75. 



Fig. 321, — Belted Kingfisher, reduced. 

 (From Tenney, after Wilson.) 



26. Family CUCULID-^ : Cuckoos. 



Feet zygodactyly by reversion of the fourth toe. This character, in connection with those 

 given below, will answer present purposes ; and, in my ignorance of some of the exotic forms, I 

 cannot attempt to give a full diagnosis. The only other North American birds with the toes 

 yoked in the same combination are the Piddce and the Psittaei, whose numerous specialties will 

 prevent any misconception regarding GucuUda. The latter are desmognathous in palatal struct- 

 ure, and homalogonatous, having tlie ambiens and three or all four of the other leg-muscles used 

 by Garrod for olassiflcatory purposes ; in these important respects diflfering from all birds pre- 

 viously treated in this work. There are two carotids. The oil-gland is nude, and coeoa are 

 present. The family is a large and important one. It comprehends quite a number of leading 



