BIRDS FROM SIAM AND THE MALAY PENINSULA 171 



reddish at gape; feet red, claws horn brown. The female is described 

 as: Bill red, blackish above. 



The specimens of this species available to me for comparison are 

 not sufficient to discuss the various races that have been proposed. 

 Leaving out of consideration the forms described from the islands oflF 

 the west coast of Sumatra, and considering only the Greater Sunda 

 Islands, the Phillippines, and Siam, I have concluded that for the 

 present it is inadvisable to recognize more than one form for specimens 

 from Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and the mainland as far north in Penin- 

 sular Siam as Nakon Sritamarat and Bandon at least, and possibly 

 farther. Five males from Sumatra, four males from Borneo, two 

 males from Peninsular Siam, and two from Tawi Tawi, Philippines, 

 agree in having the head banded with blue and the wing coverts spotted 

 with the same color; below, allowing for individual variation, they show 

 no differences. There are not so many specimens of the female. 

 There are three from Sumatra, one from Borneo, two from Java, two 

 from Peninsular Siam, one from Singapore, and two from Tawi Tawi, 

 Philippines. These again, allowing for individual variation, show no 

 constant differences. There are some differences in measurements, but 

 this is likely due to the smallness of the series rather than to geographic 

 variation. 



Five males from Sumatra measure: Wing, 60-63 (61.8); tail, 23.5- 

 28.5 (26.2); culmen, 36.5-41 (39.6) mm. Three males from Borneo: 

 Wing, 60-62.5 (61.2); tail, 24.5-27 (25.5); culmen, 39-41 (39.8) mm. 

 Two males from Peninsular Siam: Wing, 65-65.5; tail, 26.5-27.5; 

 culmen, 41-42 mm. Two males from Tawi Tawi, Philippines: 

 Wing, 62, 67; tail, 25, 28.5; culmen, 40, 40. 



Four females from Sumatra measure: Wing, 59-66 (62.4); tail, 

 24.5-28 (26); culmen, 34-38 (36.7) mm. One female from Borneo: 

 Wing, 61; tail, 27; culmen, 40.5 mm. Two females from Java: 

 Wing, 65-66; tail, 26-29; culmen, 39.5-40.5 mm. Two females from 

 Peninsular Siam: Wing, 64.5-66.5; tail, 26.5-28; culmen, 36-38 mm. 

 Two females from Tawi Tawi, Philippines: Wing, 64-68; tail, 26-26.5; 

 culmen, 36.5-37.5 mm. 



Stuart Baker ^' splits the range of what he regards as Alcedo menintmg 

 meninfing with his Alcedo meninting sciniillans. He says that the bars 

 of the forehead and crown are tinged with green in the latter. In 

 the series before me the specimens that correspond to this definition 

 are all females and came from: Sichol, Bandon; Chong, Trang; 

 Singapore Island; Great Karimon Island, East Sumatra; and Tawi 

 Tawi, Philippines; one specimen in each case. Some of these occur 

 in the same locality as the memviing type of plumage, and Baker *^ 

 mentions that meninting and sciniillans both occur together. Taking 



«' The fauna of British India, Birds, ed. 2, vol. 4, pp. 254-256, 1927. 

 M Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 39, p. 39, 1919. 



