ALCEDO IS P I DA. 



COMMON KING-FISHER. 



Generic Character. 



Bill long, ftraight, thick at the bafe, fharp pointed. 

 Tongue entire, broad, pointed, very Ihort. 

 Legs very fhort. 



Toes three forward, one backward, the three lower 

 joints connected by a ftrong membrane, middle toe 

 ferrated on the under fide. 



Synonyms. 



Alcedo Ispida. Lin. Syfl. i. p. 179. ed. 3. 

 King-Fisher. Br. Zool. 1. p. 88. tab. 33. Lath. Syn. 



2. p. 626. Bewick's Britijh Birds ^ Ft. 2. 



p. 33. Mont. Orn. DicJ. 



HP 



1 HE King-Fisher is one of the moft beautiful of our 

 native birds, is in length about feven inches, breadth near 

 eleven ; owing to the difproportion of the head, which with 

 the bill is nearly half of the whole length, the bird appears 

 very clumfy : bill one inch and a quarter long, the bafe com- 

 mencing immediately under the irides ; legs very fhort, the 

 three front toes connected from the bafe to the laft joint by a 

 very ftrong membrane, having the appearance of growing 

 together ; the hinder one is placed in a ftraight line with the 

 infide front one, by which the heel appears deformed (this 

 unufual form of the foot thews the wonderful refources of 



creative 



