UROCISSA, 41 
+ (19) * Urocissa melanocephala melanocephala. 
THE CHINESE RED-BILLED Magprn. 
Coracias melanocephalus Lath., Ind. Orn., i, p. 170 (1790) (China). 
Vernacular names. None recorded. 
Description. Head, neck and breast black; a large patch on 
the nape, continued down the back lavender- or pale blue-grey, 
and feathers of the fore crown tipped with the same colour ; 
lower plumage greyish white with a bluish sheen; under tail- 
coverts the same, but bluer and with a black band at the tips of 
the feathers with a greyish-white subterminal band; tail azure- 
blue, broadly tipped with white and all but the central pair of 
feathers with a broad subterminal band of black ; wings dull blue- 
brown, the primaries edged with brighter blue and brown on the 
inner webs; the inner secondaries blue on both webs. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or red-brown; bill and feet 
coral-red to crimson, claws horny. 
Measurements. Total length about 550 mm.; wing 180 to 
200 mm.; tail 375 to 425 mm.; tarsus about 45 mm.; culmen 
about 32 to 33 mm. 
Distribution. China and Yunnan. A _ bird from the South 
Shan States, perhaps from the extreme East, seems referable to 
this subspecies. 
Nidification. In Chihli, La Touche took its nests and eggs in 
May. He describes them as having a clayey-brown ground-colour, 
very heavily marked. Two clutches sent to me are green eggs, 
very small, about 29 x 24 mm., and just like Koels’ eggs. There 
may possibly be some mistake about them. The breeding season 
seems to be May. 
Habits. These appear to be similar to those of our Indian 
birds. 
_ (20) Urocissa melanocephala occipitalis. 
THE RED-BILLED Biue Macpin, 
Psilorhinus occipitalis Blyth, J. A.S8.B., xv, p. 27 (1846) (N.W. 
Himalayas). 
Urocissa occipitals, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 26. 
Vernacular names. Nilkhant (at Mussoorie); Digg-Dal (Simla). 
Description. Similar to U. m. melanocephala, but can be 
distinguished at a glance by its white nape-patch. The back is 
more purple, with a blue sheen rather than lavender-brown. 
Colours of soft parts and Measurements much the same as 
in the preceding bird. 
* Corvus erythrorhynchus Gmel., Syst. Nat., i, p. 872 (1788) is preoccupied 
by Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enlum., p. 38, 17838. 
