1
Dr L e ith Adams relate s th a t he foimd th e p resen t species “ inliabitmo- India and the
m i r e 5 ™| y™ ‘»® streams and lakes of Cashmere, and adding
m uch to th e b e a u ta o f the far-famed Slialimar gardens and the d elightful scenes in th a t
lom an tic land. The same a u th o r also subsequently observes, th a t i t is a “ common ten an t
on all th e stre ams and lakes m th e Valley o f Cashmere.”
Captain Irb y , in h is paper on th e “ Birds o f Oudli and Kumaon,” says th a t Ak edo 6m-
gaknsis was n o t seen n e a rly so often as Conjk m d k or f fa h jo n smyrnensis, and, unlike the
la tte r, prefe rred ru n n in g streams. v j , ,
F o r th e following obserA-ations I am indebted to th e kindness o f Mr. SAvinboe
f \ 7 7 1 enquiries resp ectin g tbe d istrib u tio n o f o u r ‘ King o f the Shrimps ’
{Aicecio benga{en.m), I can only give yo u a feAv notes. I t is a common bird in the cultivated
p a rts ot the co u n try from Canton to Shanghai, liv in g in th e neighbourhood o f rice-fields.
I have met w ith i t in every p a rt o f C hina, from Hainan to Peking, and AvestAvards as far as
U ia n g k i^ - in Szechuen, and I have a large series o f specimens from Amoy and a few from
Oanton,^ Hongkong, an d Tingchow, one from F o o c Iioav and one from Hankow. They vary
a little m size, len g th o f wing and beak ; and as a ru le th e ir coloration is uniform, and
v e iy similar to th a t o f skins in m y collection from In d ia. Formosan specimens, howcA^er,
1 n o tic e a f te r a c lo se e x am in a tio n o f a l a r g e s e rie s , h a v e p e c u lia ritie s o f th e i r oAvn. T h e y
a r e s om ew h a t l a r g e r a n d longer-Avinged th a n th e c o n tin e n ta l ex am ]ile s, a n d h a v e th e a z u re
la te r o -p e c to r a l p a tc h l a r g e r a c d e x t e n d in g doAvnAvai-ds a s h o r t w a y a lo n g a n d u n d e r th e edcre
o t th e Avmgs. M a le s a n d fem a le s b o th h a v e i t , b u t i t is d u s k i e r in th e l a t t e r . N o n e o f m y
C o n tin e n ta l s e rie s q u i t e e q u a ls th e fin e s t F o rm o s a n s in l e n g th o f Aving, th o u g h o n e s k in
t ro r a A m o y , tw o from C a n to n , a n d o n e from T in g c h ow , h a v e th e fu lly - e x te n d e d b lu e sid e-
p a tc h , a n d th e r e aa-e s e v e ra l t h a t h a v e i t m o re o r le s s dcA’elo p ed .
“ Only one Formosan b ird , and th a t a male fi-om Tamsuy, has th e patch small b u t in
dimensions i t agrees with th e la rg e s t o f the o th e r islanders. The following measurements
o t th e win g o f a few specimens show th e comparative len g th in b irds from different locali.
tie^s:— <?, Formosa, AA'mg 2-85 in ch e s; P , 3-0— c?. Canton, 2-75; P , 2 '8 0 - P , Hongkong,
2 75— li, Amoy, 2'7o— J , Tingchow, 2‘88 ; P , 2‘85. Females are d u lle r coloured, and
have th e lower mandible re d for half o f its len g th and more ; th is characte r being apparent
m th e nestlin g . The fledgling has the b rea st Avasbed m th g reyish black ; au x iliaries and
u n d e r p a rts pale r u s t colour, deeper on flanks, tibiis and vent. Upper p a rts d u ll blackish
g rey , tin g ed with green ; head and back o f th e neck spotted A\ith dull gi-eenish blue, the
Aving-eoyerts faintly so ; th e blue o f th e lower back and rump also tinged vrith green,
b rig h te n in g on th e u p p e r tail-coverts ; tail as in th e a d u l t ; th ro a t and u n d e r side o f the
neck bufly white ; legs deep pu rp lish brown, reddish on the soles and u n d e r surface. The
y o u n g fem^ale is n o t so b rig h t as th e y o u n g male, especialty about the rump and upper tail
coA’erts. l li e Formosan v a rie ty shoAvs no special difference in th e y oung stage.”
“ From th e “ Hainan G a z a te e r” {Kiung-shan-Heen che) :—
“ F r i t s u y {Kingfisher).— T \iqvq are seA-oral large and small kinds. The skins o f the
la rg e k\x\3s, [Halajon smyrnensis and H. pUeaius) are paid as trib u te to the Emperor. Tlie
small kin d is called the Water ‘T su y .’ There are also th e Hill ‘Tsuy ’ {Pelaqopsis sp.) and
th e Red ‘ T s u y ’ {H. coromandeliana).'’
Captain Blakiston procured specimens in North ern Jap.an, and rem a rk s:—
“ No distinction can b e made o u t between th is specimen and others collected in C h in a ;
b u t th e re seems considerable v ariation in the colour o f the bill o f th is species. I t is th e only
Kingfisher I obserA’ed in Jesso, and appears q u ite to rep resen t th a t o f E n g lan d in Northern
J a p a n .”
Near Hakodadi, however, i t is n o t so common, according to Mr. Whitely, avIio Avrites:
“ One specimen (a female) only, obtained a t Hakodadi, Sept. 24, 1865, from a native
bjrd-fancier, from whom I learned th a t i t had been c au g h t u p a creek n e a r the villageioi
Kiunida, a few miles from the towm. I t is most probably a scarce bird, as th is is the only
'
instance in which I know o f its capture,
eye, lilack ; legs and feet, indian red .”
Length, 6-12in. ; wing, 2-87iu. Bill, black ;
Sir Robert Schomburgk found the p resen t species in Siam, and has published the
accompanying n o te :—
“ T h is is a v e r y p r e t ty sp e c ie s o f its k in d ; i t is sm a ll—n o m o re th a n 6 in c h e s in le n g th .
W h e n o n th e w in g , th e b r illia n c y o f i t s p lum a g e is ea s ily d i s c e r n e d ; le s s so Avhen s ittin g .
I t .selects g e n e ra lly th e d r y b ra n c h of a tr e e close to th e r iv e r ’s ed g e , a n d th e r e i t Avatches
i t s o p p o r tu n i ty to d a r t in to th e w a te r a f te r th e fin n y tr ib e , Avhich, from its watch-toAver, it
h a s o b s e rv e d n e a r th e su rf a c e o f th e r iv e r .”
L astly Mr. J o h n Keast Lord, to Avliom belongs tlie b o nour of first in troducing Alcedo
bengalemis as an Eg yptian b ird to the ornithological world, has very kindly given me the
following ex tracts from his note-book on the species, as observed by him in E g y p t and on
th e Sinaitic peninsula:—
“ I first noticed this handsome little Kingfisher quite close to Cairo in F eb ru ary , 1868.
I shot a male sjjecimen a t Shoobx-a, which is a t this time in my possession. The h ab it of
A . bengalensis, so far as I have been able to observe it, is to frequent ru n n in g streams in
preference to still Avater. I have frequently seen the Kingfisher, whilst flying o r steadily
hovering close to the surface o f the stream, make a sudden plunge after a fish, and on
coming up with the prize perch upon any available branch, stone, o r log, to SAvallow i t ;
and alth o u g h it oftentimes sits in the same manner as A . i^ id a , upon a branch overhanging
th e stream, waiting p atiently for an opportunity to plunge after food, my oAvn impression
is th a t A . bengalensis more often makes the dash into th e water whilst on the wing th an from
a branch or o th er fishing station. The only place I observed it fishing in wh a t may be
called still water Avas in the canal close to the Cafro railway tei-minus, and I may ti-uthfully
say I have watched th is Kingfisher actually fishing in the' very m id st o f the busy traffic of
Caii-o, and AAuthin a gu n sh o t o f the station from Avlnch all the ti-ains ru n n in g between Caii-o
and Alexandria s ta rt o r arrive as th e case may be. Nev trth eless, its favourite locality is
the swiftly-floAving stream near Shoobra.”
“ In Ju n e , 1869, I for the second time noticed this Kingfisher a t Shoobra, and hence I
th iiik it may be fairly inferred th a t i t breeds in Eg}-pt. Twice I saAv A . bengalemis on th e
peninsula o f Sinai and in Wady Ilebi-a in Ju n e , and again a t Tor in the same m o u th ; fi-om
the la tte r place I have a specimen. A t bo th these places, I may i-emai-k, there ai-e ru n n in g
sti’oams and small fish in them.”
“ A . ispida also occurs on the peninsula o f Sinai as well as in E g j’pt. I have no positive
proof to offer, ncA-ertheless I am p re tty confident th a t A . hengalensis, and pi-obably A .
ispida, both breed a t Tor and in Wady Heb ra.”
In the Leiden Museum th ere is a specimen from Nubia, collected by Ruppell, w ith a
very long beak, equalling in this respect Mr L o rd ’s Cairo specimen.
The figures and descriptions a re from Bengal specimens in my collection.