BIRDS FROM SIAM AND THE MALAY PENINSULA 183 



Hartert ^^ has shown that Merops viridis Linnaeus appHes to tliis 

 species and was founded upon the Javan bird. As the mainland 

 form is apparently recognizable, it will once again bring the name of 

 Merops sumatranus Raffles into use for it. 



I have not examined any birds from the island of Sumatra, but there 

 are in the United States National Museum five specimens from Nias 

 collected by Dr. Abbott. These are in fresh unworn plumage. They 

 seem to be of a brighter green on the chest than the series from the 

 Malay Peninsula and Siam. The collection of the United States 

 National Museum contains also three specimens from Hunan, China, 

 in fresh plumage, and since they apparently do not differ from those 

 from Nias, the above apparent difference is probably due to age 

 or wear. 



Two specimens from Java (one male and one female) measure: 

 Wing, 109-111; culmen, 35.5-36 mm. Twelve specimens from the 

 Malay Peninsula and Siam (seven males and five females) : Wing, 

 109-121 (113.4); culmen, 33.5-37.5 (35.4) mm. Three specimens 

 from Plunan, China (one male, one female, and one unsexed) : Wing, 

 111-118 (114); culmen, 36.5-38 (37) mm. Five specimens from the 

 island of Nias (two males and three females): Wing, 113-118.5 

 (115.8); culmen, 33-38 (35) mm. 



I have not examined any specimens from Borneo. 



Apparently there are three recognizable forms of this species, as 

 follows : 



Merops viridis viridis Linnaeus (Java). 



Merops virid-'s americanus Miiller (Philippine Islands). 



Merops viridis sumatranus Raffles (as above). 



MELITTOPHAGUS ERYTHROCEPHALUS ERYTHRGCEPHALUS (Gmelin) 



Merops erythrocephalus Gmelin, Systema naturae, vol. 1, pt. 1, p. 463, 1788 

 (India). 



One male and one female, Mesarieng, January 21, 1933; one female, 

 Nong Bua, October 18, 1932; three males and four females, Hin Lap, 

 December 10-12, 1931; one female, Nong Mong, Krabin, August 24, 

 1925; one male and one female, Nong Khor, Sriracha, November 

 10-14, 1926; one female, Ban Nakae, March 3, 1929; two males, and 

 one female, Koh Chang, January 5-8, 1926; two males, Tlia Lo, 

 Bandon, September 24, 1931; one female, Yalo, Patani, February 2, 

 1931; two males, Kao Soi Dao, Trang, January 6 and 17, 1934. 



Dr. W. L. Abbott collected two males and five females in Tiang 

 (Prahmon, February 21 and March 30, 1896; Telibon Island, Febru- 

 ary 25, 1896; Lay Song Hong, November 11, 1896; near Kao Nok 

 Ram, January 18, 1899); one female and one unsexed, Tenasscrim 

 (Sungei Balik, November 28, 1900; Champang, December 21, 1903). 



'• Nov. Zool,, 1910, p. 483. 



