﻿state that its food consists of fish, which it catches after the manner of our Kingfisher by 

 plunging into the water. The female differs from the male only in having the base of the 

 under mandible reddish. The young bird, according to the notes of these Ornithologists, 

 may be distinguished by the back, which is of a greenish blue, and by its slightly smaller 

 size. The breast has also the feathers washed with shining blue, and the blue of the other 

 parts of the body is less bright than in the adult bird. 



Mr. Gurney (I.e.) publishes a very interesting note by Mr. Ayres on the habits of the 

 present species, as observed by him in Xatal. He says that it feeds entirely on fish, and 

 does not, however, like Ceryh rudis, but darts on its prey from a bough above the water. It 

 frequents both the coast and the interior. 



I am inclined to believe, however, that the bird to which Mr. Ayres here refers is Alcedo 

 semitorqiiata, for one of the specimens collected by him and afterwards presented by Mr. 

 Gurney to the Museum at Kings' Lynn is labelled Alcedo quadribrachys, but belongs really 

 to the above-named species. Moreover, on my writing to Mr. Ayres to forward me a Natal 

 specimen of the present species, he sent me A. semitorqiiata. I have, however, given the 

 locality as a habitat for A. quadribrachys, for my friend M. Jules Verreaux assures me that 

 he himself shot a pair on the Buffalo River in 1832. 



The description and measurements, as well as the accompanying figure, are from a fine 

 specimen in my collection from Gaboon. 



