112 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the crown, the upper side of the neck, and the extreme upper back 

 steel gray ; the sides of the neck light olive-brown ; the remaining up- 

 perparts olive-brown; the remaining unclerparts whitish, with the 

 sides of the body and the under tail coverts dull brown, more or less 

 barred with white. The adult female differs in having the center of 

 the throat and foreneck white. 



Order CHARADRIIFORMES 

 Family JACANIDAE 



HYDROPHASIANUS CHIRURGUS (Scopoli) 



Bronze-winged Jacana 



Tringa (Chirurgus) Scopoli, Deliciae florae et faunae insubricae, pt. 2, 1786, p. 92 



("in nova Guiana," error=Luz6n, ex Sonnerat). 

 Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 



p. 170 (Chiang Mai) ; 1936, p. 82 (Chiang Mai). 



At Chiang Mai this jacana was present in some numbers from July 

 26 (1930) to March 26 (1929) and unknown during the rest of the 

 year, except for a single individual seen on April 12, 1937. I found 

 it common at Phayao in August 1929 and at Ban Nong Khiat in 

 November and December. A specimen at Cornell University was 

 collected by Vijjakich, February 11, 1930, at "Lampang," but perhaps 

 came from the same locality as the finfoot of the same date. Finally, 

 I took an example at Ban Mae Chai, May 9, 1936. 



The present species occurs on the marshes where there are areas of 

 open water surrounded by heavy vegetation and occasionally, as the 

 countryside becomes drier, at the edges of comparatively small ponds. 

 It feeds among the floating plants, walking with complete ease upon 

 lotus pads and water-hyacinths. It swims well, riding high, and is 

 able, when alarmed, to submerge the body until only the head is visible, 

 in the manner of a grebe. A common call, often uttered during flight, 

 is a plaintive m,ee-a-m\ rather like the mew of a cat. 



The May bird from Mae Chai is acquiring breeding dress (the golden 

 nuchal patch is present and dark feathers are appearing everywhere 

 below) and already had the gonads enlarged ; a Chiang Mai specimen 

 of August 11 is in full nuptial plumage and had the ovaries greatly 

 enlarged. 



The breeding adult has the entire head and neck white, except for 

 a shining golden-yellow patch on the nape and extreme upper back, 

 edged by a narrow black line; the back and scapulars brown, glossed 

 with purple and bronze; the rump, upper tail coverts, and greatly 

 elongated tail dull black ; most of the wing pure white ; the underparts 

 dark chocolate-brown. Nonbreeding adults have the crown and nape 

 brown ; a white supercilium continued down the side of the neck as a 



