than G. cyanostigma, and occasionally met with in the woods away
from water.” Mr. Ayres also writes :—“ These birds feed entirely
on butterflies and insects caught on the wing; they frequent the
dense bush, and are often seen along the streams, but never catch
fish.” Although not recorded by Dr. Kirk in his Essay on the
Birds of the Zambesi region, a specimen from that locality was in
the Editor’s collection, and it doubtless occurs there, as it has been
found by Bianconi in Mozambique.
Adult.—Crown of the head black, barred with rich ultramarine';
a line of feathers extending from the base, of the nostrils backward
over the eye, cheeks, sides and back of the head rich lilac rufous;
a patch of feathers behind the ear rich ultramarine; throat white;
rest of the under surface of the body bright orange red ; bill rich
coral red ; feet red ; irides dark brown. Total length, 4 inches; of
bill from front, 0‘9 j from gape, T 1 ; wing, 2 T ; tail, 0 9 ; tarsus,
025 ; middle toe, 04 ; hind toe, 02.
Fig. Sharpe, Monogr. Alced. pi. 52.
1 0 8 . H alcyon semiccerulea. African white-headed Kingfisher.
Halcyon Swainsonii, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 63.
This species has the bill red, but may be told at once by its
whitish head from the rest of its African congeners.
Sir Andrew Smith stated that this Kingfisher was an inhabitant
of the interior of South Africa, but there is every reason to believe
that he described a West African skin. At all events no specimen
of his collecting exists in any museum that we are aware of, and it
remains to be rediscovered as an inhabitant of South Africa proper.
Its only claim to a position in this book rests upon its occurrence in
South Western Africa, a specimen having been obtained at Ondonga
by the late Mr. Andersson, while Senor Anchieta has also procured
it on the Cunene Kiver and at Gambos in Mossamedes. Mr. Mon-
teiro also collected a specimen in Benguela.
Male.—Head and neck greyish white, purer on the latter, the head
showing the shafts of the feathers rather strongly; back and scapulars
and wing-coverts glossy black; lower part of the back, rump and
upper tail coverts rich glistening cobalt-; primary coverts cobalt
shaded with black; quills black, the inner web white for more than
half its length, the outer web, especially of the secondaries, broadly
edged with brilliant cobalt, extending nearly the entire length of the
latter, but confined to the base of the former, where it has a faint lilac
tinge; tail above brilliant cobalt, shading into black on the edge of
the feathers, the underside deep black; cheeks, throat, and breast
rwhite; rest of the body with the under wing and tail-coverts deep
sienna; bill and feet sealing-wax red. Total length, 8-0 inches, of
bill from front, l -6 ; from gape, l -95 ; wing, 4‘3 ; tail, 1‘4 ; tarsus, 0-45;
middle toe, 0‘7 ; hind toe, 0'3.
Female.—Similar to the male, but the colours duller and the
head more dusky,
Young.—Similar to the adults, but the colours much more dingy,
those parts being blackish-brown which in the adult are jet-black;
head uniform ashy; back of neck, cheeks and entire breast dirty
white, thickly crossed with transverse brown vermiculations; throat
and abdomen white, flanks and under wing and tail-coverts tinged
with sienna; the blue on the wings and back dull; bill dark red,
black at the base.
Fig. Sharpe, Monogr. Alced. pi. 63.
109. H alcyon a l b iv en t r is . Brown-hooded Kingfisher.
Halcyon fuscicapilla, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 63.
Like the preceding bird this species has a red beak, blackish only
at the tip, but may be further distinguished by its striped head and
breast as well as by the black scapulars. Some specimens have the
back brown, and we are not certain whether it is the young bird or
the old female which exhibits this character. A pair of birds were
collected in the Transvaal by Mr. Buckley and in this case the male
had a black, and the female a brown back. This species is not found
in the neighbourhood of Oape Town, but it is common on the Eastern
frontier, and is plentiful both at Port Elizabeth and East London, according
to Mr. Rickard. Yictorin procured it in the Karroo in December
and January, and again at the Knysna in April and December.
Mr. H. Atmore has forwarded specimens from George, as also has his
brother, Mr. T. C. Atmore, from Eland’s Post. Mr. Fellows noticed
it at St. Lucia Bay, and Mr. Ayres has sent it from Natal, where,
according to Captain Shelley, it is numerous about Durban and
Pinetown. Mr. T. E. Buckley found it breeding along the banks of
Limpopo in November, and says that it was very common along the
rivers north of Pretoria. In the Zambesi it seems to be replaced by
the following species.
i 2