80 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 
Subfamily DACELONIN^. 
Genus CEYX, Lacep. 
469. CEYX TRIDACTYLA. 
THE THREE-TOED KINGFISHER. 
Alcedo tridactyla, Pall. Spic. Zool. vi. p. 10, t. ii. fig. 1. Ceyx tridactyla, Jerd. 
B. Lid. i. p. 229 ; Sharpe, Mon. Alced. p. 119, pi. 40 ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 51 ; 
Bl. B. Burm. p. 71 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 303 ; Hume Sj- Dav. S. F. vi. p. 80 ; 
Hume, S. F. viii. p. 86 ; Bingham, S. F. yiii. p. 193, ix. p. 155 ; Parker, S. F. ix. 
p. 478 ; Oates, S. F. x. 187. 
Description. — Male and female. The lores and the feathers immediately 
round the base of upper mandible black_, tinged with blue ; forehead,, crown 
and nape chestnut^ the portion over the eye and ear- coverts glossed with 
lilac ; chin and throat white ; cheeks^ ear-coverts and the whole lower 
plumage buflFy yellow, tinged with rufous across the breast ; a spot behind 
the ear-coverts bluish black ; below this another patch of white ; back 
black, the lower feathers tipped with shining blue ; scapulars and lesser 
wing-coverts black ; all the feathers of the latter, and the exterior feathers 
of the former_, tipped with blue ; greater coverts and quills black ; the 
secondaries and tertiaries edged with blue ; edge of wing chestnut ; lower 
back, rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut, glossed with lilac ; tail chest- 
nut, tipped narrowly with brown ; under wing-coverts pale rufous. 
Bill bright red ; mouth paler red ; eyelids, where visible, plumbeous ; 
iris dark brown ; legs and claws red. 
Length 5*4 inches, tail 1*1, wing 2'2, tarsus '3, bill from gape 1-55. 
The female is of the same size. 
The Three-toed Kingfisher, a lovely and diminutive species, occurs in 
suitable localities throughout a considerable portion of Burmah. I noticed 
it to be common in the evergreen forests of the Pegu hills, and also in 
some thick jungle between Kyeikpadein and the Pegu river on some low 
hills. Mr. Blytli records it from Arrakan. Mr. Davison states that it 
is not uncommon in Tenasserim south of Yea, and Capt. Bingham observed 
it in the Thoungyeen valley. 
It occurs over the greater part of India and Ceylon, the Malay penin- 
sula, Sumatra and Java, and it also extends to Cochin China. 
This small Kingfisher is fond of rocky streams in dense forests, where 
water collects in small pools ; it is also found in dry nullahs, but not so 
commonly. Seated on a rock or a branch, it allows a very near approach. 
