680 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
ALCEDINIDAE Kingfishers 
Ceryle rudis rudis (Linné). Black and White Kingfisher 
Alcedo rudis Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, p. 116, 1758: Egypt. 
Length about 10 inches; above, black and white, the head finely streaked, the wings and back 
more barred with white; tail white with a broad subterminal black bar; eye stripe and lower side 
white, with a broad black band across breast. Mediterranean region and Africa. 
This small kingfisher seems to be commonest along the coast, where it 
frequents the riverways and tidal creeks. We did not secure specimens and 
it is probably largely absent from the interior where most of our work lay. 
Biittikofer found it plentiful in the region of Cape Mount, especially near the 
mouth of the Marfa River, in the banks of which he found its nests, containing 
from three to six eggs. Other examples were taken on the Junk River and 
near the coast at Grand Bassa, but it was much less common. Slightly north- 
ward of the Liberian area, Thompson (1925) found it near Freetown, Sierra 
Leone, in the creeks, in mangrove swamps, and along the seaboard, but never 
saw it away from salt water, which further emphasizes its habitat preference. 
Megaceryle maxima maxima (Pallas). Giant Kingfisher 
Alcedo maxima Pallas, Spic. Zool., fase. 5, p. 14, 1769: Cape of Good Hope. 
Length about 18 inches; head, wings, and tail black, back and bases of wings mostly blue, the 
occiput, wings and tail-feathers with small scattered white specks; chin white with a few black 
marks, sides of neck black and white mixed with blue, and forming a broad band across chest broken 
below by white marks; belly and under tail-coverts deep chestnut; bill black. Africa south of the 
Sahara. 
This big kingfisher is occasional along the larger streams even where they 
run through heavy forest. We saw it several times on the lower course of the 
Du when passing up or down by launch, and occasionally in the interior even 
along the smaller streams. Probably the presence of available banks for nesting 
sites in such places is a factor in its distribution. Buttikofer found it ‘not 
rare” around Fisherman Lake, Cape Mount, and the estuary of the Marfa 
River where mangroves prevail, but on the Junk, Farmington, and Du rivers, 
which are largely in forest, it was decidedly scarce. He found nests in holes 
on the bank of the Marfa, containing each but two eggs. 
Alcedo quadribrachys quadribrachys Bonaparte. Shining-blue Kingfisher 
Alcedo quadribrachys Bonaparte, Consp. Avium, vol. 1, p. 158, 1850: Guinea. 
Small, length 7.5 inches; the back and top of head shining blue, tail and wings blackish; a 
white streak on each side of neck; throat buff; rest of under side fulvous. Feet red, the long 
slender bill black. Gambia to Togoland. 
On his first journey to Liberia, Biittikofer failed to find this small king- 
fisher but in subsequent visits he and Stampfli secured specimens on the Junk, 
Mesurado, Du, and Farmington rivers, though he regarded it as very rare. 
We secured one on the Du and saw several others at various places along the 
lower course of the stream. They are apt to perch inconspicuously low among 
