30 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



united, 2nd and 3rd at basal joint. Tarsus short. Head large, 

 often out of proportion. Bill long, straight and pointed, about as 

 long as tail or longer. Nests in long tunnels, eggs rounded, glossy 

 white. Young naked. All parts of world, but chiefly tropical, 

 only one European species. 



Family ALCEDINLTLE. 



Characters of Order Haley ones. Some authors admit several 

 families, but their limits are unsatisfactory. Numerous genera, 

 only one Europe. 



Genus ALCEDO L. 



Alcedo Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 115 (1758 — Type by subsequent 

 designation of Swainson 1820 : Alcedo atthis ispida). 



Bill laterally compressed, tail short, not longer than bill and 

 covered about two -thirds by the decomposed upper tail-coverts. 

 About a dozen species all of great beauty in colour in Europe, 

 Africa, and Asia, only one, with number of subspecies Palsearctic. 



ALCEDO ATTHIS* 



220. Alcedo atthis ispida L.— THE KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo Ispida Linnaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 115 (1758 — "Habitat 

 in Europa, Asia." Restricted typical locality : Europe). 

 Alcedo ispida Linnaeus, Yarrell, n, p. 443 ; Saunders, p. 279. 

 Alcedo ispida ispida L., Hand-List, p. 99 (1912). 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Fore-head, crown and nape 

 dark greenish-blue, each feather with a bright blue subterminal 

 band ; centre of mantle, back, rump and upper tail-coverts brilliant 

 glossy blue or greenish-blue ; sides of mantle and scapulars dark 

 green or greenish-blue with a few brighter marks at tips of scapu- 

 lars! ; lores : upper portion orange-chestnut, lower black ; ear- 

 coverts orange-chestnut with a narrow patch of white tinged burr 

 and sometimes tipped chestnut behind ear-coverts ; broad mous- 

 tachial stripe extending to base of sides of neck bright blue or 

 greenish-blue, anterior portion with narrow blackish bars ; chin and 

 throat white more or less tinged burr ; on each side of breast a 

 patch of greenish-blue ; rest of under-parts orange-chestnut rather 



* The first name of the Kingfisher is not A. ispida L., t.c, p. 115, but 

 Gracula Atthis L., t.c, p. 109, ex Hasselquist, described from Egypt. There- 

 fore the closely allied form inhabiting north Africa must be called Alcedo 

 atthis atthis, while the European one becomes A. atthis ispida L. — E.H. 



f If bird is held up between light and eye whole upper-parts appear deep 

 blue and not greenish. 



