ALCEDO, kingsfisher, in ornithology, a genus oldie order of Picz. The charac ters are, that the bill is three-sided, thick-, straight, long, and pointed; the tongue is fleshy-, very short, flat, and sharp, and the feet are for the most part gressory. There are 41 species. These birds are dispersed over the whole globe, inhabit. ing chiefly the water, and living upon fish, which they catch with surpris,ng alertness, and swallow whole, rejecting afterwards the undigested parts; though their wings are short, they fly swiftly; their prevailing colour is sky blue ; their nostrils are small, and generally covered. A. ispida, ispida of Gesner and Ray, Eu ropean kingsfisher of Pennant, and com mon kingsfisher of Latham, is the only one we shall notice: it is short-tailed, sky blue above, fulvous below, and its straps are rufous. This bird is 7 inches long. and 11 broad, of a clumsy shape, the head and bill being- very- large, and the legs disproportionately small. The kingsfish er frequents the banks of rivers, and feeds on fish. It takes its prey. somewhat in the manner of the osprey, balancing itself at a certain distance over the water fbr some time, and then darting below the surface, brings the prey up in its feet When it remains suspended in the air, in a bright day, the plumage exhibit a most beautiful variety of the most dazzling and brilliant colours. It makes its nest in holes in the sides of the cliffs, which it scoops to the depth of three feet, and lays from three to nine eggs, of a very beautiful semi.transparent white. The nest is very firtid, on account of the re fuse of' fish with which the young are fed. It begins to hatch its young early in the season. and excludes the first brood in the beginning of April. Whilst the fe male is thus employed, the male is unre mitting in his attention, supplying his mate with fish in such abundance, that she is found at this season plump and fat. He ceases to twitter at this time, and en ters the nest as quietly and privately a.s possible. The young are hatched in about 20 day-s; but differ both iu sizC and beau ty. Some have even doubted, whether the kingsfisher of the moderns and the alcyon of the ancients are the same bird. But the description of Aristotle sufficient ly identifies them. The alc3 on, says that philosopher, is not much larger thun sp6.rrow; its plumage. is painted with blue and green, and lightly tinged tvith purple ; these colours are not distinct, but melted together, and shining. vari ously over the whole body, the wings, and the neck ; its bill is yellowish, long, and slender. The habits of these birds also resemble one another. The alcyon was solitary' atxl pensive; and the kings fisher is almost always seen alone, and the pairing season is of short duration. The former was not only an inhabitant of the sea-shore, but haunted the banks of rivers ; and the latter has also been found to seek shell-fish and large worms, that abound on the shore of the sea, and in rivulets that flow into it. The alcyon was seldom seen, and rapid in its flight ; it wheeled swiftly round ships, and in stantly retired into its little grot on the shore. .The same character belongs also
to the kingsfisher. The alcyon and the kingsfislier have the same mode of taking. their prey, by diving vertically upon it. The kingsfisher is the most beautiful bird in our climates, as to the richness and luxuriance of the colours of its plumage. It has, says Buffon, all the shades of the rainbow, the brilliancy of enamel, and the glossy softness of silk ; and Gesner compares the glowing yellow red, which colours the breast, to the red glare of a burning coal ; and yet the kingsfisher has strayed from those climates, where its re splendent and glowing colours woilld ap peal. to the greatest advantage. There is a species that is common in all the islands of the South Sea; and Forster, in his observations on Captain Cook's se eond voyage, has remarked, that its plu mage is much more brilliant between the tropics than in the regions situated be yond the temperate zone, in New Zea-. land. In the language of the Society Islands, the kingsfisher is called Erooro, and at Otaheite it is accounted sacred, and not allowed to be taken or killed. Kingfishers were found, not only at Ota heite, but in Iltiabeine and Ulietea, and in the islands that are scattered over the South Sea, though they are more than 1500 leagues distant from any continent. These kingsfishers are of a dun green, with a collar of the same about their neck. l'he islanders entertain a super stitious veneration for them. The chief at Ulietea inU-eated Capt. Cook's com panicTs, in a very serious tone, to spare the kingslishers and herons of his island, giving permission to kill all the other birds. There :ire 20 species in Africa and Asia, and eight more that arc known tt the warm parts of America. The Eu ropean kingsfisher is scattered through Asia and Africa : many of those sent from China and Egypt are found to be the same with ours, and Belon has met with them in Greece and in Thrace. This brit!, though it derives its origin from the hottest climates, bears the ni.,,our of our seasons. It is seen in the winter along the brooks, diving under the ice, and emerging with its prev: The Germans have called it eissvogel, or ice-bird ; and it has been found even among the Tar- tars and Siberians. The Tartars and Os tines use the feathers of these birds for many superstitious purposes. The for mer use them as love amulets; pretend ing that those which float on water will induce a woman who is touched with them to fall in love with the person who thus applies it. The Ostiaes take the skin, the bill, and the claws of this hint, and enclose thein in a purse ; and vihilst they preserve this amulet, they think they have no ill to fear. Credulity has admitted and reported many other similar talcs con cerning the extniordinary powers arid virtues of this bird; but it is needless to recite them. Its flesh has the odour of musk, and is unpalatable. Plate H. Ares., fig. 4.