i " 'i
th e secondaries ; tail-feathers bronzy-gre en above, blackish beneath, the in n er web of all b u t
the middle ones, spotted with w h ite ; a lin e o f feathers from th e base o f th e bill extending
on to th e sides of th e neck, b ro n zy -g re en ; th ro a t w h ite ; a broad band across the chest
b r ig h t ru fo u s ; abdomen and u nder wing- and tail-coverts white, the flanks streaked with
b ro n zy -g re en ; b ill and feet b la c k ; eye iieai’ly black. Total len g th 12 inches, o f bill from
fro n t 2.5, from g ape 3.5, wing 5.0, ta il 3.0, tarsu s 0,25, middle too 0.6, h in d toe 0.3.
Female. Similar to the male, b u t wan tin g the red chest-hand, which is supplied by
an in te rru p te d band o f b ronzy-green.
Hah. Central Am e ric a: M e x ic o , (Mus. Philad.), H o n d u ra s , Omua {Leyland), G u a tem a la , Vera Paz,
Rio Sáma la, San Gerónimo (S a lv in ), M o sq u it ia (Wickkam), V e r a g u a , Panama (M cL ea n n a n ), Santiago
(Salvin),-B..'Se,TOMa.(Michler). Gu ian a : Britisli Guiana (iScAí>m6MP^¿), Su rin am ( i l / z w . P /i2 7 a r f .) Cayenne
(Mus. P . L . Selater), N ew G re n a d a , Bogotá (Mus. P . L . Sclater). Trin id ad ( Leotaud). Amazonia:
P a ra , R. Tocantina (Wollacc), Pebas {HaUXWell), Lower F c a y a li Riv er (E , Bartlett). Brazil (MüX.).
Sap itib a, Marambaya, M atto-dentro, Ypanema, Pa ranag n a, T ta ra ré , Irisan g a , Goiaz (Na iterer), Novo Pribourgo (MuS.
0 . Salvin), Paraná, (Biirmeistcr). La P la ta : Tnonman (Burmeútier). P e ru {Tschudi).
This is th e la rg e s t o f th e white-bellied section o f th e American green-hacked Kingfishers
and is a b eau tifu l species. I t is a v e ry common b ird in South America, b e ing pa rticu larly
ab u n d a n t in Brazil, w here i t was observed by P rin c e Maximilian, who p ublished th e followin
g n o te o n its h a b its :—
“ Th is handsome Kingfisher was observed in most p a rts of th e province visited by
1_ 1_ ____ 1________ . xL. A re re wXi reX me, being, however, nowhere so p len tifu l as in th e so u th ern ^ r t i o n , a t IC'reaVb.roe FIXrMiiore , Maricreare,
Sagoarema, an d th e lakes o f A raruam a, P o n ta Negra, Lagoa F e ia, &c., especially in those
p a rts o f th e co u n try where th ere a re lakes in which water-plants grow. Here i t sits on an
•. 1 I -I 1. ___ 1. _1_____xl. - X reJi XUre XV.;rel- reUreJre ref re—re.."!,«-./-:,..
isolated b ran ch above th e wa te r, often in th e th ick shade o f overhanging bushes and trees,
an d watches for its prey. I t often moves its ta il up and down when perching, an d then
afterwards plunges in to th e water. I ts n e s t is found in th e hole o f a hank. I t flies
?!
lickly, an d close to th e g ro u n d , and is ra th e r shy. In general character and ex te rn a l
form i t e x h ib its considerable analogy w ith Cenjh ameiicana, which seems to be its smaller
prototype. I n bo th these species th e note is the same, and th e size is th e only difierence.”
I am in d eb ted to Mr. Edw ard B a rtle tt for the accompanying n o tice o f th e habits
o f th e p resen t species as observed b y h im d u rin g his recen t ex pedition to th e P e ru v ian
Amazons.
“ Ceryle amazonia is found th ro u g h o u t th e whole o f th e Amazon Eegion, breeding in
considerable numbers on th e steep hanks o f th e rivers. Th is species is g enerally observed
in the company o f Ceryle twquata and on the approach o f any in tru d e r they fly up in n um be
rs an d keep u p a lo u d and disagreeable chorus. The n e s t is g enerally placed in an
ex trem ely deep hole in a flat-faced bank, whence i t is v ery difficult to o btain the eggs, which
a re fo u r in num ber, o f a p u re wh ite colour. The n e s t is composed o f fish-bones and a few
sticks, and th e y oung remain in th e n e s t u n til they a re able to fly and provide for th emselves.
Legs and feet b la c k ; irides n e a rly black with a s lig h t tin g e o f g rey-brown.”
In Trinidad, according to Leotaud, i t is seldom seen, for h e sta te s t h a t ;—“ '
Kingfisher, v e ry rare here, fl-equents th e rivers a t a distance from th e salt waters.”
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i f 1 1 1
lu tlie accompanying p late th e figures a re drawn from a tine p a ir o f b ird s in my own
collection, th e male being from Brazil, th e female from Guatemala. The description
of the male is tak en from a specimen recently b ro u g h t home by Mr. Edw ard B a rtle tt,
from Santa Cruz, on th e Huallaga River, while th a t of th e female is from an ad u lt bird,
in Mr. P. L. Sclater’s collection, from Panama. The y oung male exactly resembles the
adult female. Young b irds have th e wings externally spotted with white, and it is evident
th a t Reichenbach’s 6. leucosticta is founded on an immature specimen.