CEYX. 313 



"Above rufous; liead, cheeks, and back thickly spotted with bright 

 lilac; wings black, secondaries edged with rufous; coverts black, broadly 

 tipped with rufous, these rufous tips carrying faint lilac spots; breast 

 rufous washed with bright lilac." {Steer e.) 



"With a very large series of specimens from Mindanao and Basilan at 

 our disposal we are unable to detect the slightest difference between the 

 birds from the two islands and we therefore unite them under the name 

 C. mindanensis, as the Mindanao birds were obtained and described first. 

 Frequents forest or low second growth away from water." (Bourns and 

 Worcester. ) 



"Since Steere has attempted to separate the Mindanao and Basilan 

 birds, we give measurements from all our specimens : 



"Eight males from Basilan measure, IS-i in length; wing, 58; tail, 

 21; culmen, 36; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 16. 



"Eighteen females from the same place measure, 135 in length; wing, 

 58 ; tail, 22 ; culmen, 39 ; tarsus, 9 ; middle toe with claw, 14. 



"Four males from Mindanao measure, length, 135 ; wing, 58 ; tail, 

 22; culmen, 39; tarsus, 8; middle toe with claw, 15. 



"Two females from same island measure, 143 in length ; wing, 59 ; 

 tail, 23 ; culmen, 39 ; tarsus, 9 ; middle toe with claw, 16. 



"Iris very dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails scarlet to orange-red. 

 Usually keeps near ground. Occasionally alights 5 to 10 meters above 

 ground. Food, insects and their larvae." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



277. CEYX SAMARENSIS Steere. 

 SAMAR KINGFISHER. 



Ceyx samarensis Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere Exped. (1890), 10; 



Grant, Ibis (1897), 243; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 53; McGregor 



and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 53. 

 Ceyx melanura Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 180 (part). 



Leyte (Steere Exp.) ; Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns tC Worcester, Whitehead) . 



"Upper surface deep rufous; interscapulars forming two broad black 

 bands; wings black, coverts black and spotted with cobalt; sides of the 

 head rich lilac; breast and upper abdomen lilac, fainter behind. Length, 

 147 ; tail, 30 ; bill, 30 ; wing, 66 ; middle toe with claw, 15. Differs from 

 true C. melanura of Luzon in its larger size, in coloring of cheeks and 

 breast, and in amount of coloring on the lower surface." (Steere.) 



"We obtained a fine series of specimens in Samar which agree in every 

 detail with the description of C. melanura. The specimens secured by us 

 were found among the hills in deep forest and invariably away from 

 M'ater." (Bourns and Wo7-cester.) 



