﻿Adult. Above bright greenish-blue, more decidedly greenish on the back and 

 scapulars ; wing-coverts bright blue, deeper on the greater coverts ; quills black, edged 

 externally with rich blue ; lower part of the back bright blue ; tail blue above, black 

 beneath, in certain lights obscurely verniculated, as also are the scapulars ; lores white ; 

 an occipital patch and a collar encircling the neck white ; ear-coverts and a line of feathers 

 encircling the nape greenish black ; entire under surface white ; bill black, yellowish at the 

 base of the under mandible ; feet olive-brown. Total length 95 inches, of bill from front 

 1*8, from gape 2*1, wing 4*3, tail 2 - 6, tarsus 0*6, middle toe 0*8, hind toe 0"3. 



Young. Similar to the adult, but duller in plumage, and the underside, which is 

 profusely barred with narrow transverse edgings to the feathers, more tinged with buff ; 

 the upper part of the back dull green and darker beneath the white collar, where it 

 appears black ; wing-coverts edged with fulvous. 



Hah. Coast of the Red Sea (Heuglin, Jesse), India, common in the Bengal Sunderbuns, 

 extending into Aracan and Tenasserim (Jerdon), Siam (Schomburgk), Cochin China 

 (Verreaux), Penang {Cantor), Andaman Islands (Beavan), Nicobar Islands (Blyth), 

 Sumatra (Wallace), Java (Wallace, Bernstein), Bangka (mus. Lugcl.), Philippine Islands 

 (Cloning), Labuan (Motley), Borneo (Schwaner), Lombock ( Wallace), Flores (Wallace), 

 Solor (Wallace), Timor (Wallace, Midler), Celebes (Fraser), Gilolo (Wallace, Bernstein), 

 Batchian (Wallace, Bernstein), Morty Island (Bernstein), Ternate (Bernstein), Amboina 

 (Mliller), Ceram (Forsten), Banda (Forsten), Gagie Island (Wallace), Mysol (Wallace), Aru 

 Islands ( Wallace), Goram (Wallace), New Guinea (Muller), Solomon Islands (Sclater). 



Very great variation in the shades of green and blue is observable in this species, for 

 which I am unable to account as a sexual difference, as the females do not appear to be 

 less brightly coloured than the males. I believe, therefore, that the brilliancy of plumage 

 depends on the age of the bird, the green tints predominating in the more adult. I must 

 observe, however, that birds from Indo-Malayana have the plumage very brilliant blue ; 

 Mr. Gould has a specimen from Siam, agreeing with another in my collection from Penang 

 in being smaller and having a shorter wing than in ordinary H. chloris. The latter 

 specimen has rich buff flanks, and what is more curious still, seems from the vermiculations 

 on the back of the neck to be an immature bird. This Siamese and Penang race may 

 ultimately prove to be a distinct species, but it is to be remarked that in the same collection 

 from Penang were two specimens of H. chloris identical with specimens from the 

 Moluccas, so that it is impossible to believe in the distinctness of this race I have indicated 

 from the material at present at our service. The bird which Cassin has figured (I.e.) as 

 T. occij)it<dis is also represented in my collection from Java and Sumatra. The eye-brow 

 in specimens from these localities is certainly as a rule more distinct than in the birds from 

 other places, but I have one Javan specimen in which the superciliary line is not more 

 developed than in ordinary H. chloris, from which, indeed, it would be impossible to 

 distinguish it, so that I think T. occipitalis is nothing but a local race. To settle the 

 question, however, it will be necessary to examine specimens from the Nicobar Islands, 

 whence came the typical example, and this I have not yet had the opportunity of doing. 



In North Eastern Africa the following is Dr. von Heuglin's experience of this 

 species : — 



" The Green Kingfisher is a resident, entirely confined to the coast. It appears to 

 extend its range to the far north in the Red Sea; is, however, common in the southern part 

 and in the Gulf of Aden. Its favourite resorts are the bays and islands with muddy 

 ground and surrounded with quondel and schora bushes. It feeds on fishes and Crustacea. 

 It fishes, but not always from overhanging boughs. I have also seen it hunting 



