a p p e a r K T w ? l g t ' v e Y f e d Y S l ¥ r & “ "
i i f p ^ f S l i
f lT b S f ^ i a I e " 7 : T Z t 7 i 7 7 h ¥ “‘; F ® ( í ’® - - ) ; g í i o i o ( w l T i T S j ,
k e r y g re a t v ariation m the shades o f green and blue is observable in tins species for
W I ■ Z ™ ? “ ® ¥ f ® ° F ‘ “® “ difference, as tb e females do n o t appeal to be
depends o n /b e f Y V I / l " Z “ ™’ ‘»erefore, th a t the briUianey ! f plumage
depends o n th e age o f th e bird, th e green tin ts pred om in atin g in th e more adiilt I mi.fo
observe, however, th a t b ird s from Indo-Malayana have tb e plumage v e ry briUiant bine ■
Ili b r i ! / sYalle“ F “ ®‘““ ’ “g reeiu g w ith an o th e r in my collection from P en an ?
bemg smaller an d h av in g a sh o rte r wing th an in o rd in ary H. cMoris The latte?
r a ' X ' b / T ®?'» ™®i°U'' still- seems from tbe vermiculations
on th e back o f th e neck to be an imm ature bird. This Siamese and P en an v race m /
u ltu n a tcly p rove to be a d istin c t species bn ^ i t is to be remarked th a t in the same coUeotio!
from P en an g were two specimens o f H . chlm-is identical with specimens from " h !
Moluccas, so th a t i t is impossible to bebeve in the distinctness o f this race I bave indicated
from th e m ate ria l a t p resen t a t o u r service. Tbe b ird which Cassin bas figured ( lc ) as
T. ocapttalu, IS also rep re sen ted m my coUection from J a v a and Sumatra. The e y e /r o w
m specimens from these locabties is certainly as a ru le more d istin c t th an in the bmds from
o th e r places, b u t I have one J a v a n specimen in which the superciliary line is n o t more
developed th an in o rd in a ry H . chlons, fi-om which, indeed, i t would be unpossible to
distmgm sb it, so th a t I tlu n k T. ocdpitcdis is n o th in g b u t a local race. To settle the
question, however, i t m i l be necessai-y to examine specimens from the Nicobar Islands
whence th e typical example, and tbis I bave n o t y e t had tbe o p p ortunity o f doinv. ’
s p e c i e s “ A tkfrica th e following is Dr. von Heu g lin ’s experience o f “ tbis
“ The Green Kingfisher is a resident, e n tirely confined to th e coast. I t appears to
m d 'Y f h e Z “ / * / j'd " T r / common and m t h e Gu lf o f Aden. I ts favourite reso rts are the bays and iisnla tnhdes swouitthh emrnu pdadrvt
g ro u n d and su rro u n d ed w ith quondel and schora bushes. I t feeds on fishes and Crustacea
I t fishes, b u t n o t always from overhanging boughs. I have also seen i t himtin v
grasshoppers. The note is a shrill whistle. I t nests in J u n e , sometimes perhaps even
m May, in holes in avicenna trees and in th e neighbourhood o f the tid al line. The young
b ird has blackish markings on th e b rea st and sides. I t certainly does not occur in
Abyssinia ( Verreavx, Schlegel). Altogether, I only know this Kingfisher as an inhabitant
o f the coast, and have never observed i t even a few hundred paces from the water, th a t is
on th e main-land, over w hich i t travels merely to pass over a tongue of land in the quickest
way. S till the b ird does v isit lagoons in which rain-water has collected."
Mr. J esse b ro u g h t home two specimens from th e Red Sea Coast, wliich I agree Avith
Dr. 0 . Finsch in considering to be identical Avith the In d ian bird. His notes were as
f o l l o w s “ P rocured among the mangrove bushes on the shore o f Annesley Bay. A t th at
tim e th ty were plentiful, b u t bad disappeared in Ju n e. I never saw i t elsewhere while in
Abyssmia o r Bogos. Pro cu red a pair, male and fem ale; th e latter, slightly paler in
plumage, b u t moulting, had the appearance o f being a younger b ird .”
Mr. J e rd o n in th e “ B irds o f In d ia ” makes the following observations:__
“ This Kingfisher is b y no means uncommon in tbe Bengal Sunderbuns. I t is also
found iu Arakan and along th e Tenasserim Coast, extending into Malayana and the islands.
I t appears like the others o f this genus to prefer the vicinity of the sea, o r tidal rivers. A
specimen, said to be from Madras, is in th e Museum o f the late E a st India Company; b u t
1 th in k i t doubtful if i t was procured ou the Madras Coast. Nothing is recorded o f the
habits o f th is b ird .”
Capt. Beavan bas recorded th is species from th e Andaman Islands, where both he and
Colonel T y tle rfo u n d i t to b e v e ry common. He adds:—“ I t frequents the mangrove bushes
aloug th e edge of the-shore, and is frequently seen to descend to th e ground, feed on some-
tliing th ere (probably crustácea), and retu rn to its perch after a sho rt interval, apparently
never diving in to th e w ater after fish like o th er species.”
The following notes o f the Y icomte de Bocarmé are given b y Professor Schlegel (I.e.):—
“ Th is bfrd perches on th e mango-trees, the tamarinds, and even on the leaves o f the
cocoa-nut trees. His cry resembles th a t o f th e Green Woodpecker. He has such a sharp
eye th a t he will perceive, from th e h eight o f a lofty tree and a t a distance o f a hundred
paces, an earth-worm o f wliich only a piece an inch long is p rotruding from the gro u n d ;
th is h e seizes and draws the Avorm g en tly o u t of the hole, as i f he Avas afraid o f breaking
it, and afte r ha\fing eaten i t he goes and sits on a stump o r a stone. The action of its
flight is slow, and contrasts with those o f the tru e Kingfishers. I t is common iu all the
h ig h portions o f the island o f J a v a .”
Bernste in ( J . E. 0 . 1859, p. 189) says, th a t “ in Western Jav a, p articularly in the
neighbourhood of my house, i t was th e commonest Kingfisher, and might be observed on
almost every riv e r o r brook. I t is generally seen s ittin g exposed on a branch or stone,
watching p a tien tly for a fish o r insect, the la tte r forming its chief food. * * * »
When on th e A\ing its clear loud note is repeatedly heard, and sounds like Ka-Keh. I
have repeatedly found i t nesting n e a r Gadok, in a steep bank o f a brook. The nest is
generally a plain hole in the earth, covered and protected by an over-hanging stone or b u s h .
A fcAv d ry leaves aud pieces o f moss form the simple nest, on which the three o r four white
eggs, which are n o t v e ry glossy, are laid. They are generally much d irtied by the soil, and
only shoAv th e ir tru e colour Avhen Avasbed. Generally thej® are bluntly rounded a t each
end, b u t sometimes longish eggs are found in the nest. They are 30 to 32 millimetres long,
by 25 to 26 broad.
In Labuan, says üilr. Motley, “ This is a common bird ; i t frequently perches upon
hig h trees, and is usually m et with near the sea-shore." Near Banjermassing the same
collector writes, th a t it p a rticu la rly “ frequents the paddy-fields, and feeds on f
The description and figure are taken from a Gilolo specimen iu my collection, obtained
from Mr. Wallace.
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