NYCTIORNIS. 117 



1032. Nyctiornis amictus. The Red-hear ded Bee-eater. 



Merops amictus, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 310 (1824j. 



Nyctiornis amicta, Swahis. Zool. III. ser. 2, ii, text to pi. 56 ; Horsf. 

 Sf M. Cat. p. 383 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 345 ; Blyth ^ Wald. Birds 

 Burm. p. 73 ; Hume S{ I)av. S. F. vi, pp. 69. 498 ; Hume, Cat. no. 

 122 bis; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 193; ix, p.l53; Oates, B. B. ii, 

 p. 64 ; Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 1, -ph. 1,2 ; Shmye, Cat. B. M.xvii, 

 p. 90. 



Alcemerops amicta, Blyth, Cat. p. 52. 



Nyctiornis malacceuis. Cab. Sf Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 133 (1859) ; 

 Hume, S. F. ii, p. 469. 



Coloration. Nasal plumes and point of chin pale verditer-green ; 

 lores and forehead pink, passing into lilac on the vertex ; feathers 

 on eyelids dark green or blue ; whole upper parts, including ear- 

 coverts, sides of neck and breast, and upper surface of wings and 

 taU, grass-green ; cheeks in front of eye, throat, and elongate 

 plumes in middle of breast scarlet, the latter dark green near the 

 shafts ; lower parts from breast pale green ; tail-feathers beneath 

 ochreous yellow, with broad black tips ; exterior margin of outer- 

 most feathers also black ; wing-lining ochreous buff. 



In the female the forehead and lores are scarlet hke the throat ;. 

 vertex only pink. Young bu-ds are green throughout. 



Bill black, whitish at base ; iris bright yellow to orange ; legs and 

 feet pale green, often dingy, sometimes bluish (Davison). 



Length 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 5-25 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape 2-45. 

 Females measure rather less and have a shorter bill. 



Distribution. Tenasserim and throughout the Malay Peninsula 

 to Sumatra and Borneo. In Tenasserim this bird is found as far 

 north as Moulmein, Myawadi, and the Thoungyeng vaUey, but is 

 rare north of Tay. 



Habits, 4'c. Similar to those of iV. atliertoni. The note, according 

 to Davison, is hoarse, of four syllables, and uttered at irregular 

 intervals. Nidification not known. 



