A L C 
ways continues, The leaves of the firft fort are round- 
i(h, and cut at their extremity into angles; whereas thofe 
of the fecond are deeply cut into fix or feven fegments, fo 
as to referable a hand. Linnxus however doubts whether 
they are diftinft fpecies, and feems to think the fecond is 
a variety of the firth Allione fays that the hollyhock 
grows wild in the county of Nice. Both forts were culti¬ 
vated by Gerard in 1597. The colours of their flowers 
being accidental, and the double flowers being only va¬ 
rieties which have rifen from culture, we have not enu¬ 
merated them here, but fhall only mention the various 
colours which are commonly obferved; thefe are, white, 
pale, red, deep-red, blackifh-red, purple, yellow, and 
flefh-colour. Although thefe varieties of double holly¬ 
hocks are not conftant, yet, where the feeds are carefully 
laved from the mod double flowers, the greateft number 
of the plants will arife nearly the fame as the plants from 
which they were taken, both as to their colour and the 
fulnefs of their flowers, provided no plants with fingle or 
bad-coloured flowers are permitted to grow near them. 
Therefore, fo foon as any fuch appear, they fhould be re¬ 
moved from the good ones, that their farina may not fpread 
into the other flowers, which would caufe them to dege¬ 
nerate. The firft fpecies grows naturally in China. Lin¬ 
naeus refers it to Siberia. A dwarf fort, with beautiful 
double variegated flowers, has been in great efteem for 
foxue years pall, under the name of Chinefe hollyhock. 
Thefe plants, although natives of warm countries, yet are 
hardy enough to thrive in the open air in England, and 
have for many years been fome of the greateft ornaments 
in the garden, toward the latter part of the fummer; but, 
lince they have become very common, have not been re¬ 
garded fo much as they deferve, partly from their growing 
too large for fmall gardens, and their requiring tall flakes 
to feeure them from being broken by ftrong winds. But 
in large gardens, where they are properly difpofed, they 
make a fine appearance; for, as their fpikes of flowers 
grow very tall, there will be a fucceflion of them, on the 
fame Items, more than two months; the flowers on the 
lower part of the fpike appearing in July, and, as their 
ftalks advance, new flowers are produced till near the end 
of September. When they are planted in good ground, 
their ftalks often rife to the height of eight or nine feet, 
fo that near fix feet of each will be garniflied with flowers; 
which, when double and of good colours, will make a fine 
appearance, efpecially if the various colours are properly 
intermixed. 
3. Alcea Africana, or African hollyhock: leaves three- 
■lobed crenated, flowers folitary axillary, both calyxes fix- 
parted. This fpecies is a native of the eaftern fit ore of Africa. 
Propagation and Culture. They are propagated by feeds, 
which, as has already been obferved, fliould be carefully 
faved from thofe plants whofe flow'ers are the mofi double, 
and of the befl colours. If thefe are preferved in their 
covers until fpring, the feeds will be better, provided they 
are gathered very dry, and care be taken that no damp 
comes to them in winter, which will caufe their covers to 
■be mouldy, and thereby fpoil the feeds. The feeds fliould 
be fown on a bed of light earth, about the middle of April, 
and muft be covered about half an inch deep: fome per- 
fons fow them in fhallow drills, and others fcatter the feeds 
thinly over the whole bed. When they are fown in the 
former method, the plants generally come up thick, and 
will require to be tranfplanted fooner than thofe which are 
fown in the latter. By the firft, the feeds may be more 
equally covered, and kept clean with lefs trouble, becaufe 
the ground between the drills may be hoed. When the 
plants have put out fix or eight leaves, they fliould be 
tranfplanted into nurfery-beds, at a foot diftance from each 
other, obferving to water them until they have taken 
.good root; after which they will'require no farther care, 
but to keep them clean from weeds till Oftober, when 
they fhould be tranfplanted where they are to remain. 
Some perfons let their plants remain a year longer in the 
nurfery-beds to fee their flowers, before they remove them 
A L C 247 
to the flower-garden; but, when this is intended, the 
plants fliould be planted at a greater diftance in the nurfe¬ 
ry-beds, otherwife they will not have room to grow. 
However, the plants fhould be removed the firft autumn, 
for young plants more furely grow than thofe which are 
older; and, if the feeds are carefully faved, there will 
not be one in ten of the plants come fingle or of bad colours, 
Alcea,/! in botany. See Hibiscus and Malta. 
Alcea Floridana,/; in botany. See Gordonia. 
ALCEDO, or Kingsfisher,/. in ornithology, a ge¬ 
nus of the order of picae. The alcedo has a long, ftrait, 
thick, triangular, bill; with a fleftiy, plain, fliort, flat, 
tongue. Of this genus there are a great many fpecies, 
with one or other of which almoft every part of the world 
is furniftied. Mod of them frequent rivers, and live on 
fifh, the Angularity of catching which is admirable: fome- 
times hovering over the water, where a fiioal of fmall 
fifties is feen playing near the furface; at other times wait¬ 
ing with attention, on fome low branch hanging over the 
water, for the approach of a fingle one who is fo unlucky 
as to fwim that way; in either cafe dropping like a ftone, 
or rather darting with rapidity, on its prey; when, feizing 
it croffwife in his bill, it retires to a refting-place to fealt 
on it; which it does piecemeal, bones and all, without 
referve, afterwards bringing up the indigeftible parts in 
pellets, like birds of prey. The wings of mod of the 
genus are very fliort; yet the birds fly rapidly, and with 
great ftrength. It may be remarked, that, throughout this 
genus, blue, in different ftiades, is the mod predominant 
colour. The fpecies found in the South-Sea Iflands are 
held in a kind of fuperftitious veneration by the natives of 
the places they feverally inhabit, perhaps on account of 
their being frequently feen flying about the morais or bu¬ 
rial-places. That which inhabits Otaheite, where it is 
called Erooro, is accounted particularly facred, and not al¬ 
lowed to be taken or killed. 
1. The ifpida, or common kingsfiflier, is not much lar¬ 
ger than a fwallow ; its fliape is clumfy; the bill difpro- 
portionably long; it is two inches from the bafe to the 
tip; the upper chap black, and the lower yellow. But 
the colours of this bird atone for its inelegant form : the 
crown of the head and the coverts of the wings are of a 
deep blackifh green, fpotted with bright azure: the back 
and tail are of a mod refplendent azure ; the whole un- 
der-fide of the body is orange-coloured; a broad mark of 
the fame paftes from the bill beyond the eyes^ beyond 
that is a large white fpot: the tail is fliort, and confifts of 
twelve feathers of a rich deep blue ; the feet are of a red- 
difh yellow, and the three joints of the outermoft toe ad¬ 
here to the middle toe, while the inner toe adheres only 
by one. From the diminutive fize, the (lender fliort legs, 
and the beautiful colours, of this bird, no perfon would 
be led to fuppofe it one of the mod rapacious little ani¬ 
mals that fkims the deep. Yet it is for ever on the wing 
in queft: of fifh ; which it takes in furpriling quantities, 
when we confider its fize and figure. It takes its prey af¬ 
ter the manner of the ofprey, balancing itfelf at a certain 
diftance above the water for a confiderable fpace, then 
darting into the deep, and feizing the 1 fifh with inevitable 
certainty. While it remains fufpended in the air, in a 
bright day, the plumage exhibits a beautiful variety of 
the mofi dazzling and brilliant colours. This firiking at¬ 
titude did not efcape the notice of the ancients; for Iby- 
cus, as quoted by Athenteus, ftyles thofe birds aAxuov?; 
TfiU'vowTEfoi, “ the halcyons with expanded wings.” It 
makes its neft in holes in the fides of cliffs, which it fcoops 
to the depth of three feet; and lays from five to nine eggs, 
of a mofi beautiful femi-tranfparent white. The female 
begins to lay early in the feafon, and excludes her firft 
brood about the beginning of April. The male, whofe 
fidelity exceeds even that of the turtle, brings her large 
provisions of fifh while fhe is thus employed; and fhe, 
contrary to mod other birds, is found plump and fat at 
that feafon. The male, that ufed to twitter before this, 
now enters the neft as quietly and as privately as poffible. 
3 The 
