Malachite kingfisher Malachite kingfisher The malachite kingfisher ("Corythornis cristatus") is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements. The malachite kingfisher was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name "Alcedo cristata". The specific epithet "cristata" is from the Latin "cristatus" meaning "crested" or "plumed". The adjective "malachite" in the vernacular name normally refers to the dark green colour of the copper containing mineral. This kingfisher has blue upperparts but has black banding with pale blue or greenish-blue on its forehead.
The Malachite Box of the miners and gold prospectors. After the initial publication, the author continuously added new stories to the collection, such as the so-called "mountain fairy tales" in 1942, "Stories of Germans" () in 1943, a series of stories about Russian steel-makers and coiners in 1944–1945, "Stories of Lenin" () in 1944–1945, and others. Every edition of the collection ended with the dictionary of unusual words and concepts. "The Watchhouse on Dumna Mountain" () was Bazhov's essay which served as an introduction to the first edition of "The Malachite Box". It contained some information about the life, industry and culture at