THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 211 



after passing prey or swoops to seize it on the ground. It is usually 

 solitary or in pairs, but I have more than once seen a number gathered 

 together at the edge of a jungle grass fire, catching insects as they 

 escaped the flames. One stomach I examined contained a large mantis 

 and several small beetles. 



During the breeding season (April and May) this species disap- 

 peared from its usual haunts about Chiang Mai, and I recorded it 

 there only once in the month of May, although in June it again be- 

 came as common as ever. I have a specimen from Na Noi, May 25, 

 still in postnatal molt, and an older juvenile from Wiang Pa Pao, 

 July 26. 



An adult male, taken October 7, had the irides brown; the lores 

 and orbital region dull yellow ; the bill black ; the feet and toes dull 

 brownish yellow ; the claws black. An adult female of August 11 had 

 the irides brown; the eyelids edged with orange-yellow; the orbital 

 skin dull yellow; the bill black; the interior of the mouth sulphur 

 yellow, tinged greenish; the feet and toes yellowish brown; the claws 

 black. 



This roller has the crown blue-green ; the nape, scapulars, and upper 

 back dull brownish green ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts 

 verditer blue, more or less washed with purple; the central rec- 

 trices dull bluish green, the others verditer blue with purplish-blue 

 bases ; the shoulder purplish blue, the rest of the wing verditer blue, 

 crossed by a broad band of purplish blue ; the sides of the head, the 

 throat, breast, and upper abdomen violet-washed brown, the feathers 

 of the throat with narrow, shining violet-blue central streaks; the 

 remaining underparts verditer blue; the under wing coverts purplish 

 blue. 



EURYSTOMUS ORIENTALIS DEIGNANI Ripley 



Lao Red-billed Roller 



Eurystomus orientalis deignani Ripley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 55, 



1942, pp. 171-172 (Muang Ngop, Nan Province, North Thailand). 

 Eurystomus orientalis calonyx, Gtldenstolpe, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1915, 



p. 230 (listed) ; Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1916, p. 118 (Pha Kho). 

 Eurystomus orientalis orientalis [partim], Gtldenstolpe, Ibis, 1920, p. 585 



("Throughout the whole country" [partim]). 

 Eurystomus orientalis calonyx [partim], Gtldenstolpe, Ibis, 1920, p. 585 (Pha 



Kho.) 



East of the Khun Tan range the red-billed roller is a common and 

 conspicuous bird of the wilder districts. Eisenhofer took a male at 

 Huai Pu, June 5, 1912 (Hannover) and seven examples at Khun Tan 

 in 1914 (Stockholm). I have specimens from Wiang Pa Pao, Ban 

 Huai Som, and Muang Ngop and have found it everywhere along the 

 highway between Kong Kwang and Bun Yun. West of the Khun 

 Tan range it is rare and of uncertain status : on the lower slopes of 



