Sir R. H. Schomburgk on the Birds of Siam. 259 



tide. This bird's movements between the branches of shrubs 

 and trees along the roadside are very swift^ and it follows the 

 passers-by for considerable distances^ as if to ascertain their 

 characters. In its voice it differs materially from our European 

 Cuckoo. 



26. EUDYNAMIS ORIENTALIS. 



This is another species of Cuckoo, with its plumage of a 

 uniform black. Its Siamese name is " Quow-tam." 



27. EuPLOCAMUs PR^LATUS, Bp. (Kai-pha.) 



It soon became known, after I had taken up my residence in 

 Bangkok, that I was anxious to have a small collection of live 

 animals and birds from the interior; and such were brought to 

 me from time to time for sale. Upon one occasion I was told 

 that some had just arrived, and I went to inspect them. There 

 were some Loris, an albino of Hyhbates lar, and some others, 

 likewise some birds. A fine Pheasant amongst the latter at 

 once attracted my attention : it was unknown to me, and I 

 wanted to purchase it; but the price demanded, according to 

 our standard here, was outrageous, and I left the place without 

 efiecting any purchase. Our European mail arrived next day, 

 and brought me, amongst others, a letter from my friend Mr. 

 Gould, enclosing a drawing of a bird of which Mr. Crawfurd had 

 given a notice on his return from the East Indies to Europe, and 

 which evidently depicted one of the same species that I had seen 

 the day previous. Mr. Gould informed me that, as far as was 

 known to him, there was only the skin of one specimen of that bird 

 then in Europe, and urged me to endeavour to procure others. 

 I purchased, of course, the bird I had seen ; and only regretted 

 that, for the sake of ornithological science, it was to be sacri- 

 ficed in order that its skin might be sent home. I wished much 

 to get another, but a long time elapsed before I could succeed. 

 The bird which I now purchased had those beautiful feathers 

 on the back, near the scapulars, from which some have called 

 it the Eire-backed Pheasant, although the latter is Euplocamus 

 vieilloti. The middle tail-feathers of the Kai-pha bend over in 

 an arch, resembling in that respect much more the Bankiva and 

 other cocks of the East than a Pheasant. 



