BELTED KINGSriSHER 



61 



some other countries; but is considered merely as a bird that feeds 

 on fish; is generally fat; relished by some as good eathig; and is 

 now and then seen exposed for sale in our markets. 



Tho the Kingsfisher generally remains with us, in Pennsylva- 

 nia, until the commencement of cold weather, it is seldom seen 

 here in winter; but returns to us early in April. In North and 

 South Carolina, I observed numbers of these birds in the months 

 of February and March. I also frequently noticed them on the 

 shores of the Ohio, in February, as high up as the mouth of the 

 Muskingum. 



I suspect this bird to be a native of the Bahama islands as 

 well as of our continent. In passing between these isles and the 

 Florida shore, in the month of July, a Kingsfisher flew several times 

 round our ship, and afterwards shot off to the south. 



The length of this species is twelve inches and a half, extent 

 twenty ; back and whole upper parts a light bluish slate color ; 

 round the neck is a collar of pure white, which reaches before to 

 th€ chin; head large, crested, the feathers long and narrow, black 

 in the centre, and generally erect; the shafts of all the feathers, ex- 

 cept the white plumage, are black; belly and vent white; sides 

 under the wings variegated with blue, round the upper part of the 

 breast passes a band of blue interspersed with some light brown 

 feathers; before the eye is a small spot of white, and another im- 

 mediately below it ; the bill is three inches long from the point to 

 the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp pointed, and black, except near 

 the base of the lower mandible, and at the tip, where it is of a horn 

 color; primaries and interior webs of the secondaries black, spot- 

 ted with white ; the interior vanes of the tail feathers elegantly 

 spotted with white on a jet black ground; lower side light colored; 

 exterior vanes blue ; wing coverts and secondaries marked with 

 small specks of white ; legs extremely short ; when the bird perches 

 it generally rests on the lower side of the second joint, which is 

 thereby thick and callous ; claws stout and black ; whole leg of a 

 VOL. III. a. 



