406 Capt. P. J. Begbie on the Natural History 



rare birds. There is also the Ardea flavicollis, or yellow-necked 

 heron. 



A large and very elegantly-plumaged bird is the Porphyrio 

 viridis, the Ay am ayer^ of the Malays, or the Malacca water-hen 

 (syn. Porphyrio hyacinthinus,Temm. ; Gallinula porphyrio, Ij^Xh., ; 

 Fulica porphyrio, Linn.). Body above green with a purple gloss, 

 beneath violet. Bill, legs and front redf. 



Rallus philippensis, the Philippine rail; the Rallus phcenicurus, 

 or the red-tailed rail ; the Rallus striaius, or streaked rail ; and 

 the Plotus melanogaster, or Javan darter, are also numbered 

 amongst the birds of the peninsula. This last is to be met with 

 in great numbers between Ching and Malim, five miles from 

 Malacca, in the swampy ground, which for the greatest portion 

 of the year is overflowed by the river. It is three feet three 

 inches long, and obtains its name from the celerity with which 

 it darts its long serpentine neck forward, in the act of seizing any 

 of the finny tribe, on whom it preys. Its plumage is by no means 

 destitute of elegance. 



Mergus, the merganser, a plain and dusky-plumaged bird ; 

 Coracias orientalis, the oriental roller ; the Nectarinia longirostra, 

 or long-billed creeper ; the Certhia viridis, or green creeper ; the 

 Picus mar'tius, or greater black woodpecker; Picus flavicans, or 

 yellow woodpecker ; Picus malaccensis, or Malacca woodpecker ; 

 the Picus galeatus, or crested woodpecker ; and Picus minor, or 

 the lesser spotted woodpecker, may also be enumerated. 



There are numerous varieties of Kingfishers : the Alcedo collaris, 

 or collared kingfisher; the Alcedo atricapilla, or black-capped 

 kingfisher ; the Alcedo smyimensis, var. 2, or Smyrna kingfisher ; 

 the Alcedo tridactyla, or three-toed kingfisher ; a variety of the 

 Alcedo leucocephala, or blue-headed kingfisher, differing in being 

 blue, barred v/ith black above ; cheeks, nape, and orbits of the 

 eyes chestnut; beneath pale rufous J ; a variety of the Alcedo 

 maculata, or spotted kingfisher, differing in being brown, barred 

 with black above ; and the Alcedo cristata, or crested kingfisher. 



There are three splendid species of the Barbet tribe, viz. the 

 Bucco javensis of Horsfield, or the Javan barbet ; the Bucco ver- 

 sicolor of Temm., or many-coloured barbet ; and the Bucco gularis 

 of Reinwardt, or blue-throated barbet. They are all three re- 

 markable for splendour and brilliancy of plumage. 



The Ploceus philippinus, Temm. [Loxia major, Linn.), or the 

 Philippine weaver ; and the Ploceus pensilis, Temm. {Loxia pra- 



* From Ayama, fowl, and At/er, water. 



t This appears to be identical, not with the P. hyacinthus of Europe, but 

 with P. indicus, Horsf. (P. smaraydinus, Temm.), from Java. — H. E. S. 



X The bird here described is the Halcyon pulchellm {Dacelo pukhellus, 

 Horsf.).— H. E. S. 



