70 BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER. 



all the bill and legs are of a bright red colour. This 

 elegant species appears to be an extended inhabitant 

 of the warmer regions of the Old Continent, being 

 found about the coasts of the Grecian islands, in 

 the midst of Africa, and in several parts of India. 



BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER. 



Alcedo atricapilla. J. violaceo ccerulea, collari pectoreque albis, 



mrticc humerisque nigris, abdomine ferrugineo. 

 Violet-blue Kingfisher, with white collar and breast, black crown 



and shoulders, and ferruginous abdomen. 

 Alcedo atricapilla. A. violaceo-cctrulea, capite cervice humeris re- 



migibusque apice ni^ris, collo inferiore et torque albo, abdomine 



rufo. Lath. ind. orn. 

 Le Martin-pecheur a coifFe noire. Buff, ois. PL Enl. 673. 

 Black-capped Kingfisher. Lath. syn. 



Var, Martin-pecheur de I'isle de Lu9on. Sonner. my. pi. 31. 



A MOST beautiful species, in size equal to the 

 Smyrna Kingfisher, and of equal brilliancy of co- 

 lour, but the blue, instead of verging towards a sea- 

 green hue on a change of light, is rather of a smalt- 

 colour. The Black-Capped Kingfisher appears to 

 have been first described by Sonnerat. Its length 

 is about ten inches: the bill and legs are red : the 

 crown of the head, the shoulders, and tips of the 

 wrings are deep black: the back, wings and tail of 

 the rich blue above-mentioned; the throat and 

 breast white, passing behind the neck so as to form 

 a broad collar, separating the black colour of the 

 crown from the blue of the back: the abdomen ru- 



