( 9 ) 
The Black and White King-Fisher, 
r I ^ HIS Bird is of the Bignefs of the Song I’brufj, the Figure is of the natural Size; 
it hath a long ftraight Bill, flat Crown, long Head, and fliort Neck; the Head, 
I think, not fo big in proportion to the Body, as in fome others of this Genus; it hath 
pretty long Wings, and a long Tail; all of the King-jifker -kind are Ihort-leg’d ; the 
Bill is long and pretty thick at the Bafe, ending in a fharp Point, of a black Colour, 
having a Groove or Channel on each Side the upper Mandible, in which the Noftrils 
are placed near the Bafe ; the Eyes are placed juft over the Corners of the Mouth ; 
the Crown of the Head and hinder Part of the Neck is black; from the Corners of 
the Mouth, under the Eyes, is a broad black Line, which falls into the fame Colour 
behind the Neck; from the Noftrils are drawn white Lines above the Eyes, and conti¬ 
nued the whole Length of the Head; the whole under Sides, from Bill to Tail, is 
of a dirty, yellowifh White, except a little Bar of black Spots that croflfes the Middle 
of the Breaft; the whole Back is black, the Feathers having grey Tips; the Ridge of 
the Wing is White; all the Covert-feathers party-colour’d of Black and White; the 
baftard Wing Black; the firft or largeft Quill-feathers are white at their Bottoms, then 
black, having the very Tips white ; the middle Quills having white Spots in their 
outer Webs, and white Tips ; the remaining Quills next the Back, are black with 
white Tips; the Tail-feathers are white toward their bottoms, with a Row of tranf- 
yerfe black Spots ; toward the Tips is a Bar of Black of an Inch broad, the Tips be¬ 
yond the Bar being White; the Legs and Feet are of a dirty brown Colour, fbap’d a$ 
in all others of this Kind. Mr. Peter Colin/on lent me this Bird to draw ; he received 
it with others from Gamron in Perjia . 
This Bird was preferv’d in Spirits, with many others, in a Glals to bring to Eng¬ 
land, the white Part appeared very dirty and yellow, which, I believe, was owing 
only to its being ftained with the foul Spirits ; for I have obferv’d fuch Changes in Fea¬ 
thers which I knew otherwife to be purely White. 
N. B. If any one would draw a Bird preferv’d in Spirits, let him take it out, wafli 
it pretty well in warm Water, and rinfe it in a good Quantity of cold, and let it dry 
gradually, and he will reftore the true Colour of the Feathers, as far as can be; for 
fome Feathers in the Glafles of Spirits, I have obferved to appear of Colours very con¬ 
trary to the true Colour they are of before they were put in. 
