THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 197 



On the plains this little bird may be seen at any body of water, from 

 the greatest river to the muddiest ditch. It is usually in pairs, which 

 take possession of some likely spot and, day after day, use the same 

 stones and bushes from which to dive upon their prey of insects and 

 tiny fishes. Flight is very rapid and accompanied by a character- 

 istic sharp, shrill chee-chee-chee-chee. 



I have no information on the actual breeding season, but examples 

 in plumage that shows them to be young of the year have been taken 

 between August 27 and November 11. A female of the latter date has 

 scattered ferruginous feathers appearing among the ashy brown of 

 the breast. 



An adult male had the irides dark brown ; the bill black ; the interior 

 of the mouth orange ; the feet and toes coral-red ; the claws dark brown. 

 An immature female had the irides dark brown ; the maxilla blackish ; 

 the mandible reddish, with tip and extreme base blackish; the rictus 

 orange ; the feet and toes dark red ; the soles coral-red ; the claws dark 

 horny brown. 



The adult has the head and nape narrowly barred with blackish and 

 shining blue ; the back, rump, and upper tail coverts shining turquoise 

 blue ; the remaining upperparts deep blue or greenish blue, most of the 

 wing coverts tipped with a spot of shining blue; the lores and ear 

 coverts ferruginous, the latter followed by a broad white streak; a 

 broad streak from the base of the bill deep blue or greenish blue ; the 

 chin and throat white; the remaining underparts ferruginous. The 

 immature is similar but has the ferruginous replaced by ashy brown, 

 with the abdomen albescent. 



ALCEDO MENINTING COLTARTI Stuart Baker 



Assamese Deep-blue Kingfisher 



Alcedo meninting coltarti Stuart Baker, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 39, 1919, p. 39 

 (Sadiya, Lakhimpur, Assam). 



A female Alcedo, taken by my collectors near Chiang Mai, August 3, 

 1936, appeared to me to be of this form but was so badly shot about the 

 head and back that I could not feel sure it was not an aberrant example 

 of the preceding species. Fortunately, they succeeded in collecting, at 

 the same spot, August 7, a second female, which removed all doubt of 

 the bird's identity. Although, in describing coltarti, Stuart Baker 

 stated that it ranged through "North and Central S'iam," I believe that 

 this is the first record of its actual occurrence anywhere in Thailand. 



My specimens were taken on the left bank of the Mae Ping, near 

 Ko Klang, at a place where a small watercourse, heavily shaded by 

 bamboos, enters the main stream. 



The second example, which seems to be subadult, had the irides 

 brown; the bill black with extreme tip horn and the base of the 



