indebted for t b e ‘following note to tb e kindness o f my friend Captain R. C.
R iv er l e / n " T ^ observed this fine Kingfisher m th e valley of the Great Rungeet
Dargee lmg and p ro cu red a specimen th e re in 1862. I t also occurs on the
Kumaam and R u n g e e t rivers, b u t is nowhere common; i t also extends down th e Teesta
a s ta r as Julpiffoorie "where I am nparl -o - s n r p T rppnifrp/- l o i r n »
tr • • T ' miu give.» ..jj x±xj xxxvyjxu. \j, J l. J.. iviursnaii u n
th is sp e cm e n I observe a slig h t tin g e o f taw n y on th e sides o f the neck, while anothe r skin
e whole o f th e u n d e r-p a rts distin c tly washed in my collection has th e ’ w ith th is colour.
&W H
C E R Y L E L U G U B R I S .
( JA PA N E S E SPO T T ED K IN G F ISH E R .)
Alcedo lugubris
Alcedo {Ceryle) lugubris
Ceryle lugubris
Megaceryle lugubris .
Temm. PI. Col. 548 (1834).
Schl. Mus. Pays Bas, Alced. p. 2 (1863).
Temm. and Schl. Faun. Jap. At. p. 77, pl. 38 B (1850).
Bonap. Consp. Gen. I. p. 160 (1850).
Eeieh. Handb. Alced. p. 22, t. ccceviü, fig. 3099-3100 (1851).
Swinh. P.Z.S. 1863, p. 333.
Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anis. p. 10 (1854).
Cab. and Heine, Mus. Hein. tb. II. p. 149 (1850).
C. sexibus simillibuB: dorso fusco, nigro et albo transfasciato: major: rostro magis compresso.
Hah. in insulis Japonicis.
Head "with a largely-developed crest, th e feathers o f which for th e m ost p a rt a re black,
spotted and waved "with white, a few (especially in th e centre of the c re s t) p u re white, and
a few white "with only an occasional black s p o t; lores, cheeks, eye-brows and ear-coverts
black variegated with w h ite ; a b road b an d o f feathers commencing a t th e base o f the lower
mandible and encircling th e neck, p u re white, below th is a n a rrow lin e o f feathers becomin
g b roader as i t approaches th e side o f th e neck, white variegated m th black and tinged
•with tavm y ; back and scapularies fuscous-grey banded and spotted w ith w hite, a little paler
on th e lower p a rt o f th e b a c k ; quills and ta il dusky black, spotted an d banded i r ith white,
" 7" on th e in n er w e b ; under-surface o f th e body white, the upper p a rt o f th e b reast
________ 5 with more- o r less distinct black b a r s ; unndd e r -wing- and tail-coverts ]5ure white
w ith a black spot h e re and th e re ; biU d a rk h o rn co lo u r; feet olive-brown. T o ta l length
16 inches, o f bill from fro n t 2.3, from gape 3.0, wing 7.6, ta il 4.7, tarsu s 0.3, middle toe
0.9, h ind toe 0.2.
Hah. J a p a n (Siehold), Nagasaki (Whitely).
I t is in deference to th e h ig h a u th o rity o f Professor Schlegel and his predecessor Prof.
Temminck, th a t I am induced to consider th e p resen t b ird distinct from th e Himalayan
species. The only difference adduced h y Professor Schlegel between th em is th e slightly
larg e r size and more compressed beak o f th e Japanese b ird , and I leave i t to th e consideratio
n o f O rnithologists w hether these characters are sufficient to indicate any th in g more th an