74 
PICARIAN BIRDS. 
they move further on, seldom returning to their original perch. Occasionally, as they 
fly along and are attracted by something in the water below them, they will hover 
momentarily, after the manner of G. rudis, and then drop perpendicularly down 
into it; in these cases, however, they seldom dive to any depth, and do not immerse 
more than their head and shoulders. The usual cry is much like the typical cry of 
the family, but it is very loud, and generally uttered in a very quick succession of 
notes. Besides this cry, it gives a low hoarse croak from time to time when seated 
in the shadow, which same note is, I think, merely a call to its mate. This sound 
is very much like the croak uttered by Batorides javanica, and I was for some 
time under the impression that it was made either by that bird or some other small 
bittern or egret.” 
Typical The common European kingfisher ( Alcedo ispida), of which a 
Kingfishers, figure is given on p. 69, is the best known representative of the 
short-tailed fish-eating kingfishers; in which section of the family there are three 
genera, namely, Alcedo, Corythornis, and Alcyone. Of these, the latter is exclusively 
Australian, and is characterised by having only three toes; while the second is 
confined to Africa and Madagascar, and is distinguished by its well-developed 
crest. The members of the genus under consideration are likewise crested, 
although to a smaller degree, the feathers giving a pointed form to the structure. 
Confined to the Old World, these kingfishers are represented by eleven 
species, three of which are African, five Indian, and two Moluccan, while 
the remaining one is the common kingfisher, extending all over Europe 
and North-Western Asia, and represented in Siberia and the Oriental region 
by a smaller and brighter form, sometimes separated, as A. bengalensis. The 
common kingfisher is a beautiful bird, of a greenish blue colour; with the 
back brilliant cobalt-blue; the crown greenish blue banded with dusky black. 
Above the lores is a rufous sheath; the ear-coverts are orange-rufous, succeeded 
by a band of white feathers on the sides of the neck; the cheeks light blue, with 
dusky blackish bars; the throat buffy white; the remainder of the under surface 
rich orange-rufous, with a patch of greenish blue on the sides of the upper breast; 
the bill black; the feet coral-red; and the iris brown; the total length being 
71 inches. The female, which is a trifle smaller, may be distinguished by 
having a red base to the lower mandible. In England, owing to the protection 
which has been afforded to birds on the Thames and other rivers, the kingfisher is 
now more often observed than it was a few years ago, when it was much sought 
after for decorating ladies’ bonnets. Especially in the autumn, when a considerable 
migration takes place, kingfishers may be noticed on the rivers in the south of 
England, and there are few more beautiful sights than one of these birds skimming 
over the water. Seated under overhanging willows or on an exposed bough or 
stump, the kingfisher watches patiently for the approach of its prey, when it dives 
like a flash of lightning under the water. It is, however, by no means always 
successful in capturing the fish, not unfrequently missing its stroke. Sometimes it 
may be seen hovering over the water like a kestrel, and dropping like a stone on a 
fish, when the fish comes near enough; while at other times it will perch on an 
overhanging reed, in order to take its dive after its prey. The latter comprises 
insects as well as fish; and on the sea-coast, where the bird remains for some time 
