BIRDS FROM SIAM AND THE MALAY PENINSULA 293 



nearer malayensis. The same could be said of the specimens from 

 Pulo Adang and Pulo Langkawi. As a matter of fact, specuneus of 

 D. p. platurus and D. p. malayensis are mucii ahke. The latter has a 

 slightly larger crest, but this varies individually and some specimens 

 are almost identical. The two could well be merged, but as the speci- 

 mens at hand from the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula at my 

 command are a little different from those farther north, they are kept 

 separate for the present. 



Eight males from Peninsular Siam measure: Wing, 141-151.5 

 (145.5); outer tail feather, 270-350 (314.8); middle tail feather, 120- 

 136.5 (125); culmen, 23-27 (25.6) mm. Six females from Peninsular 

 Siam: Wing, 142-151 (146); outer tail feather, 287-310 (296.4); 

 middle tail feather, 113-137 (127.7) ; culmen, 24-25.5 (24.8) mm. 



The form ranges from about latitude 4° S. northward through 

 Peninsular Siam to about the Isthmus of Kra and extreme southern 

 Tenasserim. 



DISSEMURUS PARADISEUS PLATURUS (Vieillot) 



Dicrurus platurus Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., ed. 2, vol. 9, p. 588, 1817 



(locality uncertain: Malacca ^0 • 

 Dissemurus paradiseus messatius Oberholser, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., 



vol. 16, p. 519, 1926 (Singapore Island). 



Dr. W. L. Abbott collected one male and three females, Singapore 

 Island, May 14-29, 1899; one young female, Rumpin River, Pahang, 

 May 27, 1902. 



This small series has a slightly smaller crest than D. p. malayensis. 

 It is no smaller. The differences are not great and the two could be 

 merged without violence. The few specimens examined from Sumatra 

 have still smaller crests, and I hardly believe they are the same as the 

 Peninsular birds. This would leave D. p. platurus with a rather 

 restricted range, being confined to the Malay States south of about 

 latitude 4° S. 



The adult male from Singapore, type of D. p. messatius, measures: 

 Wing, 153; outer tail feather, 310; middle tail feather, 127; culmen, 

 26.5 mm. The adult female from Singapore: Wing, 143; outer tail 

 feather, 260; middle tail feather, 127.5; culmen, 27 mm. The other 

 two females from Singapore are not fully adult and the measurements 

 are not given. 



The young female from the Rumpin River, Pahang, May 27, is 

 about half grown. It resembles the adult very closely, except that it is 

 duller, more fuscous below, with little or no metallic tips to the feathers. 

 The outer tail feathers have emerged from their sheaths beyond the 

 spatula, and the latter is curved and folded over as in the adult; 

 most of the base of the feather is still to emerge, and the feather con- 



" Robinson and Kloss, Journ. Straits Branch Hoy. Asiat. Soc, No. 81, p. HI, 1920. 



