The breeding-season lasts from September to December; and the eggs, which are three and sometimes four in number, are deposited in the hole of a tree without any nest; they are of a beautiful pearly white, considerably pointed at the smaller end; their medium length is one inch and five lines, and breadth one inch and two lines.
The sexes are alike in plumage.
Head and neck dark brown, passing into the sea-green of the upper surface, and deepening into black on the lores; spurious wing, outer webs of the basal half of the quills, outer webs of the secondaries and the basal half of the outer webs of the tail-feathers vivid blue; six of the primaries with a greenish white basal band; extremities of the primaries black; tail green at the base, black at the tip; throat vivid blue, with a stripe of lighter blue down the centre of each feather; under surface of the shoulder and abdomen light green; under surface of the inner webs of the primaries, and of all but the two centre tail-feathers deep blue, the former interrupted by the greenish white band; irides dark brown; eyelash, bill and feet red; inside of the mouth yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
DACELO GIGANTEA: Leach.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp.
DACELO GIGANTEA, Leach.
Great Brown Kingfisher.
Alcedo gigantea, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 245.
—— fusca, Gmel. edit. of Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 454.
Grand Martin-pêcheur de la Nouvelle Guinée, Son. Voy., p. 171. pl. 106.—Buff. Hist. des Ois., tom. vii. p. 181.—Pl. Enl. 663.?