﻿rich ultramarine; wing-coverts black, tipped with ultramarine; wing feathers black, the 

 inner web rufous from the base, the secondaries slightly edged with blue ; tail dark blue 

 above, black beneath ; a patch of feathers in front of the eye, extending backwards over the 

 eye along the sides of the head and forming a nuchal collar, cheek and ear-coverts rufous 

 with a beautiful lilac lustre ; sides of the neck and the entire under surface of the body 

 deep orange rufous ; throat and a patch of feathers along the sides of the neck pure white ; 

 bill and feet rich coral-red; eyes dark brown. Total length 4.3 inches, of bill from front 

 1.0, from gape 1.25, wing 1.9, tail 0.9, tarsus 0.25, middle toe 0.35, hind toe 0.15. 



Hah. Senegambia, Goree (Mus. Brem.), Kasamanze (Verreaux), Ibadan (Hinderer), 

 Gold Coast (Mus. Lugd), Old Calabar (Jardine), R. Niger (Thomson), Gaboon (Verreaux), 

 Angola (Gujon), Malimba (Perrein), Abyssinia (Ruppett), Eastern Senaar, Fazogloa 

 (Heuglin), Bogos Country (Jesse), Gazelle River (Antinori). 



On the habits of this pretty little Kingfisher Mr. Gurney (I.e.) has published a short 

 note by Mrs. Hinderer of Ibadan to the effect that its food consists of flies, and another 

 published notice that I have yet met with is by the MM. Verreaux, (I.e.) which I transcribe 



entire. 



These gentlemen observe, " Although its habits offer a certain analogy to those of 

 Corythornis, it is not less true that they also approach those of Cancrophaga. Exhibiting like 

 these birds a preference for insects, which they seek among the bushes bordering water, they 

 often seize those which may be flying above the surface. But the fact which in our opinion 

 characterizes the generic separation of these birds, is that the Ispidince nest in the holes of 

 trees, instead of choosing the numerous holes which exist along the banks bordering the 

 rivers, like Corythornis, Alcedo, &c. 



" The female lays four pure white eggs, less rounded than in the case of the preceding 

 birds (Halcyon dryas). Both sexes sit simultaneously and provide for the wants of their 

 young. With the exception of the time of incubation, they are only met with isolately. 

 This species appear to remain in Gaboon the whole year." 



" The iris is blackish brown, but the beak and tarsi, which are dull brown in the young, 

 become beautiful vermilion red when the bird is quite adult." 



Dr. Th. von Heuglin states that " the Ispidina picta is nowhere common in North 

 Eastern Africa; mostly observed in the Wood- region as high as 7,000 feet above the level 

 of sea; rarely along the shores of the sea or rivers. We met with this species in Bogos- 

 land, in Central Abyssinia, in the steppes of East Sennaar, Fazogloa, &c." 



My friend Mr. W. Jesse, C.M.Z.S. has very kindly favoured me with a few notes on 

 the present species, which he met with during his excursion into the Bogos Country. He 

 writes " I have before me eleven specimens of this beautiful little Kingfisher, three from 

 Maragaz, three from Waliko, two from Gabena-Weldt-Gonfallon, and three from Bejook, all 

 on the River Anseba. These localities do not cover a distance of more than twenty-five miles, 

 so that but for a wish to adhere as far as possible with exactitude to all particularities whether 

 locality, habits, or ought else in connection with my Abyssinian collections, I might for all 

 practical purposes have given the Anseba River as the locality. During the Abyssinian expe- 

 dition, from the month of February, 1868, till the middle of June, 1868, 1 never observed this 

 species, though carrying on my researches from Zoulla to Attegerat and back in that time ; 

 nor in the valleys to the right and left of the route up the passes, nor in those at the back 

 of Senafe. I also believe I am correct when I state that Mr. W. T. Blanford, Geologist to 



