82 BULLETIN 17 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



PORPHYRIO VIRIDIS Bcgbie 



Porphyrio viridis Begbie, The Malay Peninsula, p. 515, 1834 (Malacca). 

 Porphyria edwardsi Elliott, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. 1, p. 98, 1878 

 (Cochinchina, Saigon, Bangkok). 



One female, Bang Than, August 11, 1923; one male, Potaram, 

 February 7, 1926; four males and two females. Bung Borapet, June 

 20-30, 1932. 



All these specimens have more or less greenish-black backs and 

 wings, while the blue of the foreneck and chest is near China blue. 

 The specimens identified as Porphyrio poliocephalus poliocephalus have 

 backs of a dark purplish blue, wings motmot blue, and foreneck and 

 chest alice blue except in one specimen. As both P. p. poliocephalus 

 and P. viridis were taken at the same locality in the breeding season, 

 I am giving the latter the status of a species. 



The range of this species is a little uncertain. It was described 

 from Malacca and is supposed to range up the Malay Peninsula, but 

 I know of no records for Peninsular Siam north of the Malay States. 

 It occurs in central Siam and ranges east to Cambodia, Laos, and 

 Annam. It seems to be the commoner species of the two found in 

 Siam from central Siam eastward. 



Family HELIORNITHIDAE: Sun-grebes 



HELIOPAIS PERSONATA (Gray) 



Podica personata Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1848, p. 90 (Malacca). 



One male, Pran, southwest Siam, June 5, 1928. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott collected a female at Maliwun, Tenasserim, on 

 March 18, 1900. He gives the color of the soft parts as: Bill yellowish 

 brown above ; feet green, edges of w^ebs yellow, claws pale horn-brown. 



Bonhote ^* records a female from Biserat, Jalor, Patani; Robinson ^' 

 records a male from Koh Pangan (Pennan) and states that it is widely 

 distributed throughout the Malay Peninsula in varied situations from 

 sluggish mangrove creeks to rapid mountain streams but that it is 

 nowhere common. Williamson ^^ records it from Muang Klilung, 

 Chantabun; Vijjakich " obtained a specimen in a small, shallow 

 marsh about 15 miles along the Lampang-Chiengrai road, probably the 

 first record for northern Siam. 



The species ranges from Assam, Bengal, and Burma south through 

 Siam and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra; it has been taken also in 

 Cambodia. 



M Proc. Zool. Soc. Lomlon, 1901, vol. 1, p. 79. 



•» Journ. Federated Malay States Mus., vol. 5, p. 141, 1915. 



" Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, vol. 3, p. 32, 1918. 



•' Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 9, p. 330, 1934. 



