1 ^ , ' ,
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b u t as th ey , alth o u g h closely allied, constitute a t lea st th re e d istin c t species, th e present
page m u st necessarily tre a t exclusively o f the one th a t inhabits New South W ales and South
Au stra lia , over th e whole o f wliich countries it is dispersed, wherever b rooks, ponds, and
o th e r wa te rs occur suitable to its h abits and mode ot me. i n size and in briiiiancy
j f life.In brillian cy of
ge, th e Azu re Kingfisher is intermediate between the species in habiting the No rth
'Oast and th a t found in Tasmania ; alth o u g h generically d istin c t from the Kingfisl
The
the No:
_ ---------------, --------- n - XXV..XX UiXV XAXllgfisher o f
-Lui'ope It ha s m an y characters in common w ith th a t bird. I t subsists almost exclusively
on small fish aud aquatic insects, which i t captures in the w ater b y d a rtin g doivn from some
b a re b ran ch overhanging the stream, and to which i t g enerally re tu rn s to k ill and devour
i ts prey, which is swallowed entfre and head foremost, a fte r th e manner o f th e little
f ty o u r ite o f o u r own island. I t is a solitary bird, a pair, and frequently only one, being
fo u n d a t th e same spot. D u rin g the breeding-season i t becomes querulous and active, and
ty e n pugnacious i f an y in tru d e r o f th e same species should v en tu re w ith in the precincts of
Its abode. The males a t th is season chase each o th er up and doivn the stream w ith a rrowlike
quickness, when, th e ric h azure-blue o f the back g litte rin g in th e sun, th ey appear
m ore lik e meteors, as th ey d a r t b y th e spectator, th an birds. The task o f incubation
commences in A u g u s t and termin ates iu Ja n u a ry ; d u rin g which period two broods are
u su a lly b ro u g h t fo rth . The eggs, which a re o f a b eau tifu l pearly o r p inkish white and
r a th e r ro u n d in form, are deposited a t the e x trem ity o f a hole, in a perpendicular or
shelving bank b o rd erin g th e stream, w ith o u t an y n est bemg made for th e ir reception; they
a re from five to seven in num ber, th re e q u a rte rs o f an in ch bro ad b y seven-eighths o f an
in ch long. The voimg a t the first mo u lt assume th e plumage o f th e ad u lt which is never
■ ■ ’ ■ i freq u en tly almost filled u p w ith the
^ . . . . ______ o a t and p iled up ro u n d the y o u n g in
th e form o f a n e st. Immedia tely on leaving th e ir holes th e y o u n g follow th eir parents
from one p a rt o f th e brook to an o th er, an d are fed b y th em ivhile restin g on some stone or
b ran ch n e a r th e w a te r’s e d g e ; th e y soon, however, become able to obtain th e ir own food,
and m ay be observed a t a v e ry early age p lunging in to tb e water to a considerable depth
to cap tu re small fish an d inse cts.”
“ The sexes a re p recisely similar in the colom'ing o f th e ir plumage, n e ith e r do th ey
differ in size. The y o u n g ai*e v e ry clamorous, freq u en tly u tte r in g th e ir tw itte rin g c ry as
th e ir p a ren ts pass an d repass th e branch on which th ey are s ittin g .”
Mr. E . P . Ramsay has v e ry k in d ly forwarded me th e following in te res tin g p articula rs
respecting th e h ab its o f th e p resent species :—
“ Now while a ll th e members o f th e genus Todiramplms are stric tly land Kingfishers,
all th e members o f th e g en u s Alcyone have j u s t th e opposite habits, b e ing always found in
th e vicinity o f w a te r; th ey love to dwell on the sides o f creeks and rivers, e ither salt or
fresh. T h e p re se n t species is a b u n d an t in a ll p arts o f New South Wales, wherever water
is to be fo u n d ; th ey spend th e ir time in watching for th e ir p rey from th e b ranches o v e rhangin
g th e water-hole s, creeks and rivers, edges o f lakes and lag o o n s; in fact, wherever th e trees
a long th e w a te r’s edge afford th em she lter, and th e denser th e foliage, th e b e tte r th ey are
pleased. T h ey a re v e ry e x p e rt in catch in g fish, and plunge deeply in to th e wa te r, sometimes
completely u n d e r th e surface. A p a ir have reso rted for many successive breeding-
seasons to a water-h o le on th e Dobroyde Estate , where they have tunnelled in th e banli of
soft clay, and th ey often occupy the same hole for several years in succession. The eggs
a re five in num ber, ‘9 inches long by ’75 inches broad, ro u n d and pe arly white, laid upon a
floor o f fish-bones, scales, an d remains o f co lep tera; I have taken two good liandfulls o u t
o f th e ir n e s t on several occasions. The tu n n e l is usu ally from 20 to 30 inches long, 2^
to 3 inches wide, and th e chamber a t th e end ab o u t 5 inches in diameter. I differ from Mr.
Gould in considering th a t th e d S r is found in th e n e s t o f this species has been ‘ discharged
from th e th ro a t and piled u p ro u n d the y o u n g ,’ from th e simple fact thai these bones and
scales are fo u n d under eggs before the f u l l complement has been la id h v one s ittin g , secondly
because, in nests placed on th e banks o f creeks, in which no fish a re found, th e debris
consists o f wings and legs o f coleopterous insects, chiefly Anophegnathtdm m& Buprestidw,
which on account o f th e ir homey e ly tra an d covering a re h y no means suitable to r food,
and a re therefore, I consider, b ro u g h t in for no o th er purpose th an to keep th e eggs ott the
damp mud in which the birds frequently tu n n el.” j i
“ This fact was first b ro u g h t u nder my notice b y my old school-fellow and much
lamented friend, th e late i\Ir. F . Mate, perhaps th e most talen ted scholar th a t ever won
honours a t Sydney University, b u t many times since we have found th e debm of various
kinds o f insects b ro u g h t in for a flooring.” . , . „ t xi i x
The following e x tra c t is from th e “ Bush Wandermgs o f a Na tu ra list, b y th e late
Mr. H. W h e elw rig h t :— , i i • i -x
“ The real Au stra lian Kingfisher is smaller th an its European namesake, which it
resembles much in h ab its and appearance; i t is, however, o f a uniform purple-blue colour,
and th e b reast is deep orange. I t was a summer m ig ran t to us, and a pair o r two mig h t
b e th ere seen on every creek : th ey breed in th e hole o f a bank, and th e eggs exactly
resembled those o f th e B ritish b ird .” , i •
The description as well as th e p late are taken from a Queensland specimen in my
collection.
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