210 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



finishes with a rapid rattling kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk, during which the 

 bird points its bill at the sky and erects the elongated feathers of the 

 throat. The stomachs of my specimens contained only Hymenoptera. 



Breeding probably takes place during the hot weather; I have an 

 example from Doi San Pa Bong, June 2, which, in its short bill, seems 

 to be a bird of the year. All adults taken between August 6 and 

 October 23 are in molt. 



A male had the irides bright brown; the maxilla slaty black, the 

 commissure edged transparent whitish at the base ; the mandible slaty 

 black, pale plumbeous on the basal half ; the feet and toes olive-green, 

 tinged purple ; the claws purplish slate. 



This is a huge bee-eater with the central rectrices not prolonged 

 beyond the others. It has the entire upperparts bright green (with 

 the usual coppery gloss), sometimes tinged with verditer blue on the 

 crown ; the sides of the head, throat, and neck bright green ; the center 

 of the throat shining light blue, mixed with darker blue, these feathers 

 elongated and covering the center of the breast ; the remaining under- 

 pays buff y yellow, heavily streaked with green ; the undersurf ace of 

 the wings and tail unmarked buffy yellow. 



Family CORACIIDAE 



CORACIAS BENGHALENSIS AFFINIS McClelland 



Indo-Chinese Black-billed Roller 



Coracias affinis McClelland, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pt. 7, 1839 [=1840], p. 164 

 (Assam). 



Coracias affinis, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1913, p. 51 

 (Pak Pan, "Vang Nun") ; 1916, p. 117 (Khun Tan) ; Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. 

 Siam, 1915, p. 230 (listed) ; Ibis, 1920, p. 585 ("Throughout the whole coun- 

 try").— Reley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 186 (Ban Nam Khian). 



Coracias bengalensis affinis, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 1929, p. 571 (15 km. north of Chiang Saen). 



Coracias benghalensis aflinis, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 

 p. 161 (Chiang Mai) ; 1936, p. 94 (Chiang Mai). — de Schauensee, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 260 (Chiang Mai). 



The black-billed roller is very common in settled districts through- 

 out the northern lowlands. Eisenhofer sent to Stockholm eleven un- 

 dated specimens from Khun Tan; to Hannover, examples from Pak 

 Pan, Huai Pu, and Pha Hing, collected February 18, June 4, and May 

 12, 1912. I have taken it at Chiang Mai, Chom Thong, Wiang Pa Pao, 

 and Ban Na Noi (Nan Province) and have observed it at numerous 

 other localities. 



The "blue jay" is a familiar species of the cultivated areas and the 

 more open deciduous forest. It is often seen along traveled roads, 

 perching upon low branches, fence posts, and telegraph wires, whence, 

 with a gorgeous flashing of blue wings and tail, it sails into the air 



