THE BELTED KINGFISHER. 
209 
of the rest, excepting the outermost ; all, excepting the two middle ones, 
brownish-black, barred with white. A broad band of white across the neck, 
broader anteriorly and including the chin and throat. A band of blue across 
the fore part of the breast. The rest of the under parts white, excepting the 
sides, which are mottled with blue. 
Length 121 inches, extent of wings 20 ; bill along the ridge 2, along the 
gap 21 ; tarsus I, middle toe 1 T V 
Adult Female. 
The blue of the female is much duller. The band on the upper part of 
the breast is of dull greyish-blue and light red intermixed ; below this is a 
narrowband of white, and across the middle of the breast a broad band of 
yellowish-red, of which colour also are the sides. The rest of the under 
parts are white, tinged with red. 
An adult male preserved in spirits measures to end of tail 13 I inches, to 
end of wings 111, to end of claws lOyV ; wing from flexure 61 ; tail 4. The 
roof of the mouth is rather flat behind, with the sides sloping upwards ; it 
has two short longitudinal ridges, and is covered with minute papillae. The 
posterior aperture of the nares is linear behind, oblong before, I inch in 
length. The anterior part of the palate is moderately concave, with a 
median ridge and numerous oblique lateral grooves. The lower mandible 
is also moderately concave, with a prominent middle line. The tongue is 
very short, only 5 twelfths in length. 21 twelfths in breadth, fleshy, with 
two lateral prominent lamellae at the base, its upper surface slightly convex, 
its sides parallel until 2 twelfths from the tip, when it tapers abruptly to a 
bluntish point. The breadth of the mouth is 111 twelfths. The oesophagus, 
a b c, is 51 inches long, of the uniform width of 7 twelfths ; its parietes very 
thin, the inner coat thrown into longitudinal rugae. The liver is large, its 
left lobe much smaller than the other, the former being 1 inch 11 twelfths 
in length, the latter 1 inch 4 twelfths. There is no gall-bladder. The 
stomach, c d e, is very large, roundish, a little compressed, its diameter 1 
inch 7 twelfths. The proventricular glands are extremely small, and occupy 
a belt 5 twelfths in breadth. The muscular coat of the stomach is very thin, 
but composed of strong fasciculi ; the middle coat is nearly of equal thickness ; 
internally there is a complete epithelium, which, however, although tough, 
is very thin, almost membranous, and raised into numerous tortuous rugae, 
without any part being thicker than another. The pylorus has six marginal 
roundish fleshy papillae. The duodenum, efg, presents the usual curvature, 
being folded back upon itself at the distance of 1 inch 8 twelfths ; the intes. 
tine, g h i , then forms several convolutions, and is of great length, but very 
narrow, and disposed in 24 folds. Its length is 3 feet 10 inches, its width 
Vol. IV 29 
