BELTEB KINGSFISHER. 
61 
rity for fair weather. It is neither venerated like those of the 
Society isles, nor dreaded like those of some other countries; 
but is considered merely as a bird that feeds on fish; is generally 
fat; relished by some as good eating; and is now and then seen 
exposed for sale in our markets. 
Though the Kingsfisher generally remains with us, in Penn- 
sylvania, 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 colour; 
round the neck is a collar of pure white, which reaches before 
to the chin; head large, crested, the feathers long and narrow, 
black in the centre, and generally erect; the shafts of all the 
feathers, except 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 immediately below it; the bill is three inches 
long, from the point to the slit of the mouth, strong, sharp point- 
ed, and black, except near the base of the lower mandible, and 
at the tip, where it is of a horn colour; primaries, and interior 
webs of the secondaries, black, spotted with white; the interior 
vanes of the tail feathers elegantly spotted with white on a jet 
black ground; lower side light coloured; 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 dirty yellow-^ 
