﻿one case much more so than in the other, and the peculiarity was common to the whole 

 sitting in each case. Some confusion has arisen in the nomenclature of this bird from 

 Swanson, in his "Birds of "West Africa" (vol. ii. p. 95), having described the male bird as 

 distinct, under the name of Ispida bicincta. The fact is, that the adult male always has the 

 second narrow bar of black across the chest. Degland, oh the contrary, attributes this 

 second belt to the female. I preserved twenty-one specimens, and many were collected by 

 others of the party. In all the sex was carefully noted, and the rule held good of the male 

 having a second band, which was wanting in the female and the young bird. The young, 

 before its first moult, has many of the feathers on the throat and breast, both above and 

 below the band, delicately tipped with a slaty-black crescent-shaped mark. The range of 

 Ceryle rudis is most extensive, from Western Africa and the Cape of Good Hope to the 

 furthest parts of China and Japan. It is evidently the bird intended by Russell, in his 

 " Natural History of Aleppo," under the name of Alcedo alcyon, var. -y, and was first 

 described by Hasselquist." 



The Rev. E. M. Young has given us the following notes on, the present species:^— 

 " This bird is very common both in Lower and Upper Egypt, remaining throughout 

 the year and breeding about April 1st. It was curious to see how tenaciously it would 

 keep to a particular perch, generally a dry stick or a telegraph wire if such were at hand. 

 When in search of food it might frequently be seen poised in the air over stagnant pools 

 till it suddenly dropped on some fish, diving completely beneath the surface. The flutter- 

 ing of its wings, as it thus poised itself, was extremely pretty. The note is a shrill twitter, 

 not often heard ; the colour of the eggs is white. I often pursued this bird along the river 

 bank as it flew in front of me, continually perching but never allowing me to get within 

 shot ; till at last, seemingly tired of the chase, it would fall an easy prey to the gun.'' 



The following observations are published by Dr. von Heuglin (Orn. N. 0. Africa's, 

 p. 185):— 



" C. rudis is very common in N. E Africa; we have also met with it on the Egyptian 

 coast of the Mediterranean and on the coast of the Red Sea, but it is scarcely a regular 

 inhabitant of the coast. On the other hand it is not wanting in the lagoons of the Delta, 

 on canals where standing water is, on flooded meadows and fields, as also on the true Nile 

 and its tributaries, south-westward to Djur and Kosanga. In Abyssinia it is only found in 

 the warm low countries ; on the upper Nile it appeared to me to be rarer than in Nubia and 

 Egypt. Here it is a resident, although in summer and autumn it often bands in families 

 and small companies and leaves its former residence. These pilgrimages may be caused by 

 the rising of the Nile and the discolouring of the stream. It lives in pairs, is sociable, and 

 — except during the breeding- season — more friendly with members of its own species than 

 other Kingfishers, and often several pairs dwell in the same neighbourhood. It sits and 

 watches along the shore on overhanging branches, on roots, walls, brick ets, rocks, and even on 

 the ground, but seldom pounces from the latter on its prey. From time to time it takes a 

 flight over shallow clear water, also right across the river or from one island to another, 

 sometimes very low, generally however several fathoms above the surface. Its flight is 

 not very swift but straight, and steadied by quick fluttering motions of the wing, not rush- 

 like that of Ala'do isjiida, and it rises and falls according to will and with great agility. 

 One often sees it, after taking a start by several quick flaps of the wings and gliding on for 

 a distance, suddenly with one quick movement alter the direction of the flight and suddenly 

 stop and hover. When hovering the bill is held straight down, and the hind part of the 

 body and tail also rather lowered. Directly it catches sight of its scaly prey it turns up, 

 lays its feathers close to the body, and drops like a stone into the water, remaining often 

 over ten seconds below the surface. It seldom misses its mark, and devours the fish it has 

 captured cither on the wing or at one of its resting-places. The voice is a shrill whistle, 

 at the same time ehirpey, or at times snickery. During the pairing-time the males often 

 fight on the wing, and roll together, calling loudly, nearly to the surface of the water. In 

 Egpyt the breeding-season is our spring; according to Adams as early as December. The 



