278 KINGFISHER. 



The King- Duck resides chiefly in the northern parts ; they are plentiful 

 at Hudson's Bay, where they breed on the sides of pools and rivers 

 * In some parts of America, says Wilson, their nests are crowded so 

 closely tog-ether, that a person can scarcely walk without treading on 

 them.* The nest is made of sticks and moss, lined with down plucked 

 from their own body. The eggs are five or six in number, rather less 

 than those of the goose, of a whitish colour. It is not unfrequent in 

 the north of Siberia and Kamtschatka, and common in Greenland, where 

 the down is accounted of equal value to that of the eider duck, the flesh 

 excellent, and the gibbous part of the bill a delicacy. The skins sewed 

 together are used for winter garments. 



These birds are not uncommon on the coasts of Norway ; and we are 

 assured by Mr. Pennant and others, that it sometimes frequents the 

 Orkney isles, which has induced us to give it a place in this work. 



* KINGFISHER (Alcedo Ispida, Linn^us.) 



* Alcedo Ispida, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 179. 3.— Gmel. Syst. p. 448. sp. 3 Lath. Ind. 



Orn. 1. p. 252. sp. 20 — Raii, Syn. p. 48. A. 1 Will. p. 101. t. 24.— Briss. 4. 



p. 471. 1.— Gracula Atthis, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 398. sp. 8.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 

 p. 192. sp. 10.— Ispida Senegalensis, Briss. 4. p. 485. 7. t. 39. f. 1. — Le Martin 

 Pecheur, Buff. Ois. 7. p. 164. t. 9.— Le Baboucard, lb. 7. p. 193.— Ib. pi. Enl. 

 77. — Martin Pecheur Alcyon, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 423. — Gemeine Eis 

 Vogel, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 2. p. 1106 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 134. 

 Frisch, t. 223.— King's-Fisher, Br. Zool. 1. No. 88.— t. 38.— Arct. Zool. 2. p. 

 280. A.—Albin, 1. t. 54 — Will. (Angl.) p. 146. t. 24.-Lath. Syn. 2. p. 626. 



16 — Ib. Supp. p. 115 Lewins Br. Birds, 2. t. 52.— Mont. Orn. Diet.— Ib. 



Sup?.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 2. t. 19.— Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 6.— Wale. Syn. 1. 

 t. 52 — Don. Br. Birds, 4. t. 100.— Shaw's Zool. 8. p. 88.— Flem. Br. Anim. p. 

 90 — Selby, pi. 40. fig. 1. p. 121. 



The weight of this beautiful bird is an ounce and a half; length 

 seven inches; the bill is two inches long, and black, tinged with orange 

 at the base of the lower mandible ; irides hazel ; the crown of the head 

 is of a dark changeable green blue, with numerous small transverse 

 bars of bright azure; from the upper mandible to the eye a dusky 

 streak ; the sides of the forehead rufous ; behind the eye a broad stripe 

 of red orange, at the lower angle of which, on each side, commences a 

 yellowish white stripe, which almost meets on the back part of the 

 neck ; from the base of the lower mandible springs a blue streak, which 

 runs to the side of the neck ; the throat is buff-coloured ; the under 

 parts of a dull orange ; darkest on the breast ; the wing coverts like 

 the upper part of the head, but not so much spotted ; down the middle 

 of the back, the rump, and upper tail coverts, fine bright azure ; tail 

 deep blue ; legs red orange. 



The bill of the female is not so long as in the other sex. *The 

 colours also are deeper, and more of a green shade.* 



