Part 118

"Abundant along the seashore and the banks of large fresh-water streams in the islands indicated. P. gigantea is a very tough bird, and will carry off a pretty good-sized load of shot. Ten specimens measure 379 in length; wing, 153; tail, 93; culmen, 83; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 35. Iris dark brown; feet red to dark red; bill dirty red to dark red." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus ALCEDO Linnæus, 1758.

Small, length less than 200 mm.; bill long; culmen slightly curved and rounded, not flattened, a slight groove on each side; tail shorter than bill; toes four.

Species.

a1. Wings dirty green; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts greenish cobalt; head and wing-coverts spotted with greenish blue. ... bengalensis (p. 306) a2. Wings black; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue; head and wing-coverts spotted with purplish blue. ... meninting (p. 307)

269. ALCEDO BENGALENSIS Gmelin.

ASIATIC KINGFISHER.

Alcedo bengalensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, 450; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 52. Alcedo ispida Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 141 (part); Hand-List (1900), 2, 50 (part); Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1895), 3, 122, fig. 35 (head); Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 33 (part).

Su-sul'-bot, Manila; ma-min-dí-ta, Calayan; sa-cal', Lubang.

Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor), Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Cuming, Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan (Lempriere, Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Verde (McGregor). Malay and Indian Peninsulas, Burmese provinces, Moluccas and Greater Sunda Islands, China, Hainan.

Adult male.--Upper parts, including wings, dark greenish blue; back, rump, and tail-coverts light cobalt-blue; feathers of head banded with cobalt; median wing-coverts tipped with cobalt; lores and a band to ear-coverts deep ferruginous, followed by a white patch on side of neck; a wide band from lower mandible to below white patch, greenish blue, spotted with cobalt; lower parts deep ferruginous or orange-rufous but chin and throat buffy white; under wing-coverts and axillars similar to breast but slightly paler. Bill black, dusky red along base; feet bright red; nails dark brown; iris dark brown. A male from Mindoro measures: Length, 168; wing, 71; tail, 32; culmen from base, 39; tarsus, 9.

Adult female.--Similar to the male. A specimen from Mindoro measures: Length, 170; wing, 75; tail, 34; culmen from base, 40; tarsus, 9.

Young.--Similar to the adult but duller; lower parts with little or no ferruginous; throat and chin white; breast and abdomen ashy or dusky brown.

"Probably occurs abundantly on every island of the group. Found along the seashore, in mangrove swamps, and along banks of fresh-water streams in the open. Much less commonly met with along streams in the forest." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

270. ALCEDO MENINTING Horsfield.

MALAYAN KINGFISHER.

Alcedo meninting Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 172; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 157; Hand-List (1900), 2, 51; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 33; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 52.

Balabac (Everett); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, White); Sulu (Guillemard); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester, Everett). Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, southern Tenasserim, Java, Borneo.

"Adult male (type of species).--Above rich purplish blue; the entire back brilliant cobalt, changing to deeper blue on the lower rump and upper tail-coverts; wing-coverts black, washed with purplish blue, with a small spot of brighter blue near the end of each feather; quills black, secondaries externally purplish blue like the scapulars; tail black, washed with purplish blue; crown black, barred with purplish blue rather brighter than the shade of the back; hind neck beautiful purplish blue, with the black cross-bars more or less obsolete; lores blackish, with a rufous supra-loral streak; sides of face, ear-coverts, and cheeks purplish blue like the crown, the feathers mottled with black bases; behind the ear-coverts a broad band of white, tinged with ocherous-buff; throat white with a rufous wash; rest of under surface of body from the lower throat downwards chestnut-rufous, with a patch of purplish blue, lilac-tinged feathers on each side of the upper breast; under wing-coverts chestnut-rufous, a little paler than the breast. 'Bill blackish brown; feet coral-red; iris brown.' (Everett.) Length, 135; culmen, 42; wing, 65; tail, 27; tarsus, 9.

"Adult female.--Exactly resembles the male in color, and has even the cheeks blue like the male. It appears, however, always to have the bill more, or less red, and generally the greater part of the lower mandible is rufous. Length, 140; culmen, 42; wing, 66; tail, 27; tarsus, 6." (Sharpe.)

"Found chiefly along banks of fresh-water streams in forest. More rare in mangrove swamps and never seen by us along the seashore. Iris dark brown; legs and feet deep scarlet; bill black, reddish at base of lower mandible. In a single case the bill was deep scarlet except base and culmen black. Seven birds average as follows: Length, 155; wing, 64; tail, 28; culmen, 37; tarsus, 8." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus ALCYONE Swainson, 1837.

The Philippine species here placed in Alcyone are scarcely separable generically from those of the next following genus. They feed along small forest streams wherein they differ from the members of the genus Ceyx which are always found away from water in forest or in thickets.

Species.

a1. Back and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue; head spotted with cobalt-blue; chin and throat orange-buff.

b1. Lower mandible dark red; spots on crown smaller. ... cyanopectus (p. 308) b2. Lower mandible black; spots on crown larger. ... nigrirostris (p. 311)

a2. Back and upper tail-coverts black, more or less spotted with white; chin and throat white.

b1. Breast and sides dark greenish blue. ... argentata (p. 309) b2. Breast and sides purplish blue. ... flumenicola (p. 310)