THE KINGFISHER. 33 



Distribution. — England and Wales. — Resident. Generally distri- 

 buted on slow-flowing streams, often moving to coasts in autumn 

 and severe weather. Occasional appearance at Lights in autumn 

 and spring may indicate passage-movements. Scotland. — Resident. 

 Generally distributed in south, but becoming irregular and rare north 

 of Grampians. Not noted Caithness or Shetlands, and only once 

 Orkneys and 0. Hebrides (Barra, July 25, 1892). Ireland.—^ 

 Resident but scarce in all counties. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe generally, from south Scandinavia 

 to Mediterranean, casual Madeira, replaced by closely-allied forms 

 in north Africa and Asia. 



[Note. — The two American Belted Kingfishers, Ceryle alcyon (L.), said 

 to have been obtained in Meath and Wicklow in autumn 1845 (Yarrell, n, 

 p. 452 ; Saunders, p. 280 (in text) ) cannot be admitted, as the records were 

 undoubtedly due to a fraud. Another stated to have been obtained in Corn- 

 wall in November 1908 was not identified or recorded until ten years after- 

 wards and does not afford a sufficiently certain record to admit the species 

 {Brit. B., xn, pp. 160, 216). The bird inhabits North America and has 

 occurred in Holland, Iceland and on the Azores.] 



Order PI CI. 



Palate schizognathous ; cervical vertebrae 14 ; basi -pterygoid 

 processes absent ; vomer split and reduced ; sternum with long 

 forked spina externa, no interna, with two pairs of rather deep 

 indentations. Ambiens muscle absent. Neck with exceedingly 

 powerful muscles. Bill hard, straight, strong, powerful, like 

 chisel. Nostrils near base, rounded. Tarsus short with one 

 row of scutes in front. Feet very strong either four toes, in some 

 cases 3, two in front, two (or one) behind. Rectrices actually 

 12, but two outer (one each side) quite short, soft and above the 

 second. Tail cuneate. Oil-gland tufted. Bare tracts wide. 

 Tongue extraordinarily long, worm-like and capable of being 

 protruded very far, owing to its long " horns " which are, as a 

 rule, curved round skull and originate near base of bill, tip hard 

 and barbed. Young hatched blind and helpless, without down. 

 Nests in holes of trees, nearly always excavated by birds themselves. 

 Eggs white and glossy, oval or even pyriform. Over 400 species 

 in nearly all parts of world where trees abound, but absent from 

 Australian and Papuan sub-regions and many oceanic islands > 

 as South Sea. 



Family VIQIDM. 



Only one family can satisfactorily be recognized, and only 

 two subfamilies, Picince and Jyngince are well divided. 



vol. n. D 



