HALCYON ID®. 
389 
bluish purple ; the base of the secondaries and 
greater coverts are pale verditer blue, as also the 
axillary feathers, dividing the wing on the inside 
diagonally across from the dark colour of the 
quills, which, in different lights, have a shade of 
rich blue or deep auricular purple ; the tail has 
the exterior feathers slightly lengthened, the 
commencing modification of the form so much 
developed in some of the foreign species ; it is 
deep purple-blue at the base, for half the length, 
paler on the outer webs of the quills ; the other 
half pale verditer blue ; the outer feather tipped 
with black ; the two centre feathers are entirely 
of a deep grayish green, tinted with blue at the 
base. 
In the second family, the Halcyonida, we 
possess also only one form, seen in the Common 
Kingfisher ; showing an aquatic type feeding 
almost exclusively on fish. 
AlcSDo, Linn. — Generic characters. — Bill 
very straight, sharp, somewhat compressed, 
gape ample ; wings rather rounded, third 
quill longest, the first and second very gently 
graduating ; tail very short, scarcely longer 
