174 



BULLETIN 2 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Malayan Honey-Guide 



Indicator archipelagicus Temminck *" 



Figure 1; Plate 21 



Very little is known of the habits of this honey-guide, and nothing 

 at all regarding the points of greatest interest — whether it guides to 

 bees' nests and whether it is parasitic in its breeding habits. Judging 

 by the wide occurrence of parasitism throughout the family, one might 

 expect this species to be parasitic also, but there are no observational 

 data. 



Distribution 



The Malayan honey-guide is known from only a small number of 

 records from localities in southern Siam (Chong, Trong, Peninsular 

 Siam, and Klung River, Khlong Khlung District) ; the Malay Peninsula 

 (Klang, Selangor; Ginting Bidal on the Selangor-Pahang boundary; 

 Gunong Tahan; Kuala Taku at foot of Gunong Tahan, Malacca), 

 Sumatra (Basilan, Lesten, Panobasan, Langkat), and Borneo (Pon- 

 tianak; Kuching; Saribas District; Karou River; Poelau; Lumbidan, 

 northwestern Borneo; Kapuas River; Benkoka, northern Borneo; 

 Mengalung River, northern Borneo; Paun, Tebekang area; Satang 

 Island, off mouth of Sarawak River, Mount Dulit, 2,000 ft.; Bintulu; 

 near Samarahan Estate and Trusan, Sarawak) . Specimens have been 

 taken from about sea level (100 feet above at Paun) to at least 3,000 

 feet above sea level (Gunong Tahan, Malay Peninsula). As may 

 be seen from these records, this honey-guide has been met with chiefly 

 in the Malay Peninsula and Borneo; there are only two records from 

 Siam and four from Sumatra. It has not been reported from Java. 



The species is said to be a forest dweller, and, being a bird of the 

 tree-tops without bright coloration or loud vocalisms, it may possibly 



*" Indicator archipelagicus Temminck, in Temminck and Laugier de Chartrouse, 

 Nouveau recueil de planches 6olori6es d'oiseaux . . . , livr. 91, pi. 542, fig. 1, 

 1832. (Pontianak, Borneo.) 



