lower mandible down th e sides of th e neck, p ure white, th e la tte r va ried witli longitudinal
black m ark s ; cheeks and a lin e of feathe rs below the last-mentioned line o f white and
black feathers, b lack, th e former n arrowly, and th e la tte r broadly varied w ith w h ite ; lower p a rt
of th e th ro a t and chest ric h 'ru fo u s , th e sides varied w ith s la ty -g re y ; feathers spotted with
w h i t e ; flanks white banded w ith s la ty -g re y ; u n d e r wing- and tail-coverts white with an
occasional black s p o t; centre o f the abdomen and v en t p u re white, bill b la c k ; feet dark
olive-brown; irides n e a rly black. T o ta l len g th 14.8 inches, o f b ill from fro n t 3.5, from
gape 4.3, wing 8.0, ta il 5.3, ta rsu s 0.4, middle toe 1.0, h in d toe 0.3.
A d u lt female. Similar to th e male, b u t in stead o f th e u ppe r p a rt o f th e chest being
rufous, it is replaced b y a bro ad s late-coloured band, each feathe r b eing banded w ith w h ite ;
below th is is a white band, aiad th e r e s t o f th e under-surface o f the body w ith th e u nder
wing- and tail-coverts rufous. To ta l len g th 16.5 inches, o f bill from fro n t 3.5, from gape
4.5, iving 8.0, ta il 4.75, tarsu s 0.4, iiiiddle toe 1.0, h in d toe 0.3.
Young female, similar to the ad u lt female, b u t has the feathers o f th e band on the
b rea s t d a rk e r and ed^ed w ith white, th e whole band tinged with rufous.
Young male. Similar to th e y o u n g female, b u t has the abdomen and u n d e r wing- and
tail-co v erts white. F rom an examination o f several y oung males 1 am induced to believe
th a t as th e b ird advances in age th e rufo u s colouring o f th e u n d e r wing-coverts becomes
p u re white as in th e ad u lt m a le ; th en th e abdomen loses th e rufous colouring, th e flanks
an d u n d e r tail-coverts becoming s la ty -g rey b a rred and spotted with white, th e la tte r again
in v e ry old b ird s becoming p u re white. A t th e same time th e black feathers on the
u pper p a rt o f th e b re a s t disappear, b e in g replaced by a rufo u s band.
Hah. Abyssinia, E a s t Senaar {Heuglin), W h ite Nile {Petherick, mus. Wald.), Senegal
{mus. Hein.), R iv er G ambia {mus. Brem.), Casamanze ( Verreaux), Bissao ( Vei'reaux), Ashan-
tee {Pel), F an te e {Pel), Congo {mus. Dres., Brit.), Gaboon { Verreaux), St. Thomas {Gujon),
Riv er Quanza {Monteiro), Dam araland: Riv e r Okavango, R iv er Tioughe {Andersson), Cape
Colony (Xayarc?), K nysna {Andersson), Caffaria {Brehm, mus Lugd.), Na ta l {Ayres), T ran svaal
{Ayres), Zambesi {Kirk).
Considerable d oubt has ex isted as to wh e th e r th e Great African Kingfishers in h a b
itin g the J ith io p ia n Region constitute one or two species. Professor Reichenbach
separated th em in to two u n d e r the names o f Megaceryle maxima (P a ll.) and Megacen/le gigantea
(Swains.), and in th is conclusion h e is followed, b u t n o t with o u t considerable hesitation, by
Dr. Ha rtlau b . I t should be n o ted th a t th e learned doctor assigns ‘Congo’ as the h ab ita t o f
C. maxima on th e a u th o rity o f P a llas, whereas th e la tte r d istinctly states th a t h is specimens
came from th e Cape o f 6 o o d H o p e ; th e au th o rity for ‘Congo’ is Profe ssor Reichenbach
who had specimens in th e Dresden Museum from th a t locality. The difference between C.
maxima and C. gigantea are chiefly those o f size, and no characte r can be less tru s tw o rth y
in th e consideration o f K ingfishers. Drs. H a rtlau b and Finsch, however, in th e ir new work
o n E a s t African Ornithology u n ite th e two species, and th is conclusion is doubtless
th e corre ct one. B u t we a re n o t th e less indebted to Mr. Gurney, who b y a careful
examination o f specimens s en t from Na ta l b y M r. Ayres, in 1859, endeavoured to set the
m a tte r rig h t, and his observations a re en tirely correct. I am able to add, as will be
seen above, some additional notes on th e changes o f plumage, and I have to th an k Mr.
to whom
................................ ^ ^ Pa llas gave a
v e ry good d e scription as far as i t wen t, b u t he described th e male as the female, and <
A TA-./i?__ H __..... — ......... —V, 1 /T 1 <5 1./10 I itr +
Ceryle maxima i t is so, th o u g h o u t o f the larg e series o f specimens I have examined, I have
one. B u t th e unspotted back o f Swainson’s p late would b ring the b ird a t once
seen one.
ne ar
..ucxx Ceryh sharpii, and it is, therefore, well to state th a t this omission is evidently caused
b y th e carelessness o f th e colourist, for both in Swainson’s and H a rtla u b ’s descriptions
th e bird is said to have the back spotted. The absence o f bars ou th e abdomen a t
once shew th a t i t is n o t Ceryle sharpii, which is, I believe, a v e ry good species indeed. An
examination of th e type-specimen p roves th a t i t c annot be referred to any sta^e of plumage
o f C. maxima, b y reason o f the intense b arrin g on th e abdomen and u n d e r wing- and tafl-
coverts. I t Is a v ery old bird, aud therefore exhibits characters exactly co n tra ry to 6 .
maxima, which, as it becomes old, quickly loses all bars on these p arts, leaving them o f a pure
white. A comparison o f the plates, however, ivill best ex h ib it th e difference betwe<m the
two species. T o -re tu rn to o u r subject, Reicbenbach’s figures intended to represent Ceiyle
maxima (figs. 3101 and 3102) are really n o thing b u t th e young male and female, while his
figures o f th e bird h e calls C. gigantea (figs 3103 and 3486), th e former a copy of
Swainson’s p late above referred to, represent old male and female birds. Mr. Gurney s
descriptions are correct, as also are those given by Drs. Hartlau b and Finsch.
The following notice o f th e habits o f Cergle maxima has been given me my in e n d
Mr. J . J . Monteiro, who has contributed so largely to o u r knowledge o f "W est Airican
' “ Thfs^very fine bird I have only seen on the River Q uanza (Coanza), g enerally on the
b a re or dead branches of trees overhanging th e river, sittin g upright, m th its head a t n early
r ig h t angles to its body, and th e crest a t the back prominently exhibited. The flig h t is
heavy and slow.”
Mr. Ayres states th a t in Natal, “ these birds frequent th e rivers and lakes, and are n o t
found far from th e coast. They feed entirely on fish, which th ey d a rt on from th e ir perch
on a bough above. When flying, th ey make a loud ch atterin g noise, audible a t a g rea t
distance. They g enerally ro o st a t nig h t a t th e same pool and on the same pond for a length
o f time, wandering away in the day-time and re tu rn in g a t nig h t. I find in some o f them
in te stin a l worms (somewhat similar to the w ire-worm o f E ngland) which eat in to th e ir flesh
and entrails, b u t do n o t seem to in ju re th e h ealth o f th e b ird .”
Mr. Layard (Z.c.) has published th e following n o t e :— _ i j-
“ This, th e larg e st o f our Kingfishers, is n o t a t all uncommon, and is v e ry widely distrib
u ted . I t is migratory, and I know n o th in g o f its habits. I t frequents the “ Salt
R iv er” and o th er small streams in th e neigbourhood o f Cape Town, perches on trees, and
is wary and difficult o f approach. I ts flig h t resembles th a t o f th e American Belted
Kmgfisher, and like th a t species, wh ilst on th e iviug, i t u tte rs a loud ch a tte rin g cry.
Indeed i t so closely resembles A l. alcyon th a t when I firs t heard and saw it, I th o u g h t an old
friend was before me, in a new c o u n try ; a near approach, however soon dispelled the
illusion. H a b ita t: Cape C o l o n y and Natal e.xtending in to Damara Land. Feeds on crabs,
fish, frogs and rep tile s ; v e ry common a t Zoetendals valley and along the riv e r Zonder
In a recent number o f th e “ Ib is” Mr. Layard adds th a t his friend W. Atmore informs
him th a t he “ once found one o f these birds with h is b ill shattered, evidently ag ain st a stone
while strik in g his p rey in too shallow w ater.”
Mr. Kirk (?.c.) found the p resen t species in th e Zambesi country “ freq u en t th ro u g h o
u t the country on th e courses o f the rivers, feeding exclusively on fish which h e catches
when on the wing by dropping suddenly, carrying its prey off in th e bill, and swallowing
i t a t its leisure, perched on a tre e .”
The figures in the p late represent ‘an old male in my own possession collected by
Andersson a t th e Kiiysna on the 10th of March, 1866, and a female from among Mr.
Ayres’ Natal specimens, len t me by Mr. Gurney. The descriptions and measurements are
also from th e same birds. The young male and female are described from specimens in my
own collection from South Africa and tlie River Gambia.