KINGSFISHER. 61 



60— AZURE KINGSFISHER 



Alcedo azurea, Ind. Orn. Sup. xxsii. 



Alcedo tribrachys, Nat. Misc. pi. 681. Tern. Man. Ed. ii. Anal. p. lxxxyiii. 



Tridigitated Kingsfisher, Shaw's Zool. viii. p. 105. 



Azure Kingsfisher, Gen. Syn. Sup.\\. add. p. 372. 



LENGTH six inches and a half, or seven inches ; size of the 

 European One. Bill one inch and three quarters long, and black ; 

 plumage on the upper parts of the body, wing coverts and tail fine 

 deep blue ; between the bill and eye a buff-coloured streak ; on each 

 side of the neck a long oblique one of white ; all the under parts of 

 the body, from chin to vent, deep buff-colour ; quills brown ; legs 

 red ; furnished with three toes only, two before and one behind. 



Inhabits New-Holland. — The one from which the above description 

 was taken, came from Norfolk Island. 



A. — Among Mr. Lambert's drawings from New-Holland, I ob- 

 served a Variety. Bill the same, but instead of a buff-coloured spot 

 between the bill and eye there is a white one ; and behind the latter, 

 on the ears, a white streak, tending to the nape ; chin and throat 

 white ; the rest buff-colour beneath ; toes as in the other. 



I have seen also some others, in which the difference of colour 

 was the chief circumstance ; but the description of the various tints 

 the same, varying merely in being paler or more deep ; and such can 

 only be esteemed as sexual distinction, or young birds. 



