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Mr. Blanford has v e ry kin d ly given me th e accompanying n o te:—
“ I found th is ICingfisher only on th e highlands o f Abyssmia b u t never much above
7,000 fee t above th e sea. I did n o t m eet with i t on th e Anseba, and suspect th a t i t is
confined to th e temperate region. I t keeps to th e banlis o f streams, and has, so_ fai’ as I
h ad o p portunitie s o f ju d g in g , precisely th e flig h t and h abits o f A k ed o ispida, s ittin g on a
b ran ch over th e w a te r and thence dashing down upo n fish, and when disturbed skimming
rapidly along th e stream j u s t above th e surface o f th e water. I never saw i t far from
water. I t was n o t v e ry common.”
Des Murs in Lefebvre’s “ Voyage en Abyssinie” observes:—
“ T h e firs t example was found on the rive r Assem ne ar Adoua on the 25th o f Ju ly ,
1839, an d a second was killed on th e riv e r o f Waye Gonagona on th e 7 th o f April, 1840.
T h e b ird has all th e flig h t and h abits o f o ur common species, and frequents the borders
o f th e riv e rs.”
I t will b e seen from the accompanying observations o f the Messieurs Verreaux, th a t
tlieii’ experience o f th e Abyssinian race being ab o u t tlie same size as th e South African, is
e xactly contrai’y to my own and if th eir observations in this respect b e correct, th ere can
n o h e sitation in th e mind o f any Ornithologist in u n itin g th e C. cristata from all p arts o f
Africa u n d e r one and th e same specific d esignation. I suspect, however, th a t as it is tlie case
w ith so- m any o th e r African birds, two races differing only in size may be found to inhabit
respectively th e h ighlands and p lains o f th e same country. The above-named Ornithologists
h av e given us th e following n o te :—
“ Th is species exactly resembles th a t o f South Afi’ica, which appears to he -widely
diffused; for we can find n o difference whatever, except th e va ria tio n o f size, th e numerous
examples which h av e passed th ro u g h o u r hands d a rin g th e th irty yeai’s we have busied
ourselves w ith th e s tu d y o f N a tu ra l Histo ry and o f Ornithology principally.”
“ We m u st state, however, th a t specimens from certain localities on th e West Coast
c to u s to be o f a smaller size, while those from the E a ste rn portion, on th e young o f
-which o u r colleague, M. Riippell, has founded h is A . cyanostigma, entirely resemble those
e o f Good Hope. W e have gained proofs o f th is b y th from the Cape c e comparison th a t we
have made dm’ing o u r journeys among public museums. F o r the rest, its manners are the
same as t\\e Alcedo ispida o f Europe. I n the ad u lt birds, no difference exists between the
s e x e s ; b o th have th e iris clear blue, w ith th e beak and feet lively red .”
T he description an d measurements a re from specimens in my own collection.
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