10 KINGSFISHER. 



white, with the base black ; the feathers of the head elongated 

 sufficient to form a moderate crest : these are narrow and brown, 

 streaked with paler brown ; sides of the head above the eye, and 

 hind part of the head, dirty white, with a mixture of dusky ; beneath 

 the eyes and sides of the neck deep brown ; back and wings olive- 

 brown; lower part and rump fine pale blue green; outer edges of 

 the quills blue ; within, and the tips black, the base of some of them 

 white, forming a spot ; tail five inches and a half long, rounded at 

 the end, barred ferruginous and steel black, with a purple gloss; 

 the end for one inch white ; under parts of the body dirty white, 

 marked transversely with narrow dusky lines ; legs yellow. 



The female has a crest, but it is smaller, the crown plain deep 

 brown ; body beneath white, encircling the neck as a collar at the 

 lower part ; back and wings olive-brown ; some of the middle coverts 

 tipped with glossy greenish white ; quills greenish brown, base of 

 several of the feathers white, forming a spot on the outer edge ; sides 

 of the body mottled with dusky ; tail as in the male, but less glossy ; 

 legs deep brown. 



Inhabits New-Guinea : described from specimens in the collection 

 of Sir Joseph Banks. Sonnerat's bird was two inches shorter. — It is 

 found also in New-Holland, but by no means numerous, and rarely 

 seen in pairs : feeds on insects, worms, and sometimes seeds ; for the 

 latter has been found in the stomach : the note compared to human 

 laughter, which should give the idea of cheerfulness ; hence called 

 the Laughing Bird, or Laughing Jack-Ass ; nothing is known con- 

 cerning the nest or eggs, as they have never been met with. The 

 natives call it Goo-ge-na-gan : it varies in having more or less white 

 in the wings : it is a bird of slow and short flight, and when on the 

 wing seems to proceed with difficulty : from head to tail decreases 

 much in size, and the feet are very small in proportion to the bird. 



There is also in New-Holland a smaller Variety, being only ten 

 inches in length, but differs too little in colouring to need a separate 

 description ; is known by the same name among the natives as the 

 larger one. 



