THE BIRDS OF BANGKOK. 339 



Iri-j reddish ljro\> ii t'j dark bruwii. IJill dark brnwii. jiale to 

 jiiukisli lioni-colour at gape and ut base of lowur mandible. Mouth 

 l)iiikish flesli. Legs purplish brown to pluiiibrous, soles greyish white. 

 Claws dark horn-colour. 



Dif^lrilintion. Kecorded, by tlir autliors (pioted in the >yiioiiyn)y, 

 from all part J of the country except the Central and .Suuth-easlern 

 divisions where, however, 1 have obtained it. 



In Bangkok this is a rare bird and i believe only f-cen in tlio 

 cold season. The lir?t of my two Bangkok specimens uas caught 

 in tile room ot a house on the west baidc of the river on the 2GtIi 

 flanuary 1915, while the second was sliot in the neighboinlupod of 

 Hatiiorn lload on tjie 10th January 1917. Moth are fully ndnlt birds. 

 As a rule they are found here singly, but I once saw a pair on Kace- 

 course lload, and another pair was observed some years ago b}' Dr. 

 Jlalcolm Smith iii a compound in Suriwongse lload. 



The Hurmese race of the Hoopoe (to which also the Siamese 

 bird belongs) has been separated from the Indian form mainly on 

 account of its larger size, including the bill which, in typical uiale 

 specimens, measures 66 nnn. (2.G in.) in lengtli, or more. A male 

 in my collection from llayong, Sollth-ea^tern Siaiu, has a wing of 155 

 mm. (tj.l in.) and a bill of G5 mm., while another male, from Nong- 

 kae, South-western Siam, has a bill of 66 mm., but with a compar- 

 atively short wing of 140 mm. 



lliiJnls, df. Hoopoes are generally found in liiirly ijpen wooiled 

 country, such as mi.xed scrub and bamboo, though 1 have observed 

 them in heavy evergreen forest at Nong Khor, near Sriracha, in South- 

 eastern Siam. The}' feed on the ground on insects, and are said b\' 

 lUanford to e.Nlract grubs with their long bills from some distance 

 beneath tlio surface. J have found them very common in some parts 

 of the t;ountry, such as in the coastal region of the South-west. 



('/'(> hr riniHilHCiK) 



\V\.. II, liKL. I'.il, 



