BIRDS FROM SIAM AND THE MALAY PENINSULA 181 



14, 1929; one immature male and three immature females, Cbantabun, 

 May 26-27, 1929; one male, Sriracha, April 19, 1934; two males and 

 one female, Muang Kanburi, April 7-9, 1928; two males and one 

 female. Bo Ploi, Kanburi, September 9, 1928; one male and one female, 

 Koh Lak, June 6, 1933. 



The four immature specimens collected at Chantabun are in two 

 stages of plumage. All four are a warm buff below washed with light 

 green in varying degrees, according to age; above they are a lighter, 

 less bright green than the adult, with a bufi'y suffusion on the nape 

 and upper back. In the first stage the black crescent on the chest is 

 entii-ely lacking and the lowerparts are lighter, less green. In the 

 next stage the black crescent appears on the chest; the lowerparts 

 become a deeper green; the throat a citron j'ellow; the malar region 

 bright green ; above, the pileum becomes a deeper buff, with a deeper 

 buff suffusion. 



In some of the apparent adults the chin and sides of the throat 

 become cendre blue, but the specimens with the bluest throats do not 

 always have the deepest golden pileums. All the specimens with 

 the bluest throats Dr. Smith has sexed as males, so it may be a sexual 

 character. All the birds sexed as males have not the blue chins and 

 throat, however; they are probably younger bh'ds. 



The present form has a rather wide range, extending from Assam, 

 Burma, and Yunnan southward to Siam and eastward to Cambodia, 

 Cochinchina, Annam, and Laos. It occurs nearly all over Siam proper 

 and in the southwest has been taken as far south as Koh Lak where it 

 has been collected by Count Gyldenstolpe and Robinson and Kloss. 



Stuart Baker recognizes two additional forms for Asia and Sclater 

 four forms for Africa. Merops orientalis orientalis Latham inhabits 

 nearly all India and Ceylon, except the extreme northwest frontier 



MEROPS PHIUPPINUS JAVANICUS Horsfield 



Merops javanicus Horsfield, Trans, Linn. Soc. London, vol. 13, p. 171, 1821 

 (Java) . 



One male and one female, Bung Borapet, June 20, 1932, March 29, 

 1933 ; one male and one female, Bangkok, January 3 and September 30, 

 1924; one male and one female, Fran, April 1, 1931 ; one male and one 

 female, Sam Roi Yot, November 8, 1932; one male and one female, 

 Koh Tao, off Bandon, September 22, 1928. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott collected the following: Three males and one 

 female, Prahmon, Trang, February 24 and March 9, 1S9G; one male, 

 Tanjong Kalong, Singapore, November 19, 1899; one male, Fulo 

 Langkawi, December 8, 1899. 



These birds agree with the form from Java rather than that from 

 the Philippine Islands. Specimens from the Philippines have the 

 breast washed with buffy and the back a golden-green, while specimens 



