170 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Gyldenstolpe notes that his specimens had the irides red (adults) 

 or grayish white (juveniles) ; the bill black (adults) or horn color 

 (juveniles) ; the feet and toes black. 



The adult has the wings, scapulars, and interscapular portion of 

 the back red-brown; the rest of the plumage black, glossed with 

 purple-blue on the head, nape, upper back, throat, and breast, and 

 with more greenish blue elsewhere. The immature is similar but has 

 the red-brown portions barred with black and the black portions 

 barred with gray. 



Yen (L'Oiseau et la Eevue Franchise d'Ornithologie, 1933, pp. 618- 

 620) has attempted to show that intermedins is inseparable from the 

 nominate race, but his evidence is not convincing. He has compared 

 examples of sinensis with numerous more or less intermediate speci- 

 mens from Indochine but not with Burmese material. The long 

 series from many localities measured by Stresemann (Nov. Zool., vol. 

 20, 1913, pp. 321-322) prove intermedins to be a recognizable form. 



CENTROPUS BENGALENSIS BENGALENSIS (Gmelin) 



Indian Lesser Coucal 



[Cuculus] bengalensis Gmelin, Systema naturae, vol. 1, pt. 1, 1788, p. 412 



(Bengal). 

 Centropus bengalensis, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1913, 



p. 59 ("Vang Nun"). 

 Centropus bengalensis bengalensis, Gyldenstolpe, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 



1915, p. 233 (listed) ; Ibis, 1920, p. 594 ("Northern Siam"). 

 Centropus benghalensis benglwlensis, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. 



Suppl., 1931, p. 160 (Chiang Mai, Doi Suthep) ; 1936, p. 89 (Chiang Mai, Doi 



Suthep). 



Although the small coucal is known to breed in the southern parts 

 of Thailand, in the North it seems to be merely a winter visitor. At 

 Chiang Mai it was fairly common from October 19 (1936) to April 

 2 (1931). In April 1931 I found it common on Doi Ang Ka, in the 

 valley under Pha Mon. Eisenhofer sent to Stockholm two undated 

 specimens from Khun Tan. 



While the large coucal is restricted in range to the plains, the 

 present form occurs also at suitable places to the summits of the 

 mountains. The latter may be found in the same scrubby places as 

 its congener but, in the lowlands, is seen oftenest in the tall grasses 

 and sedges of marshy areas, on the hills in stands of lalang. The 

 habits of the two species seem to be otherwise much the same. I have 

 never heard the song of bengalensis, but it is said to resemble that of 

 intermedins. A specimen taken by me had the stomach filled with 

 beetles and grasshoppers. 



An immature male had the irides pale, dull brown; the orbital 

 region yellowish; the maxilla fleshy yellowish brown, the culmen 



