﻿NO. 
  1134. 
  PHiLii'i'isK 
  onxi 
  THoLocrY—wnncEsrEu 
  Axi) 
  Bounys. 
  G0.> 
  

  

  pJiHippi 
  tills 
  is 
  solitary 
  in 
  liabit, 
  leediuj^' 
  near 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  open 
  country. 
  

   Its 
  food 
  be 
  states 
  consists 
  of 
  wasps 
  and 
  dragon 
  tlies, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  observed, 
  

   wliereas 
  M. 
  hlcolor 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  limited 
  closely 
  to 
  honeybees. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  seen 
  M. 
  pliUipphius 
  feeding 
  in 
  docks 
  upon 
  honey- 
  

   bees, 
  frequently 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  .1/. 
  hieoh/r. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  met 
  with 
  .1/, 
  

   hicolor 
  feeding 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  jiairs 
  near 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  open 
  country. 
  The 
  

   matter 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  simple 
  one. 
  Both 
  species 
  often 
  feed 
  singly, 
  but 
  a 
  

   swarm 
  of 
  bees 
  is 
  a])t 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  Hock 
  of 
  bee 
  birds. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  Steere 
  should 
  dismiss 
  the 
  genus 
  Ceyx 
  with 
  live 
  

   lines, 
  especially 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  himself 
  described 
  two 
  species 
  

   of 
  the 
  blue 
  woodland 
  tyjie 
  from 
  Basilan. 
  If 
  his 
  theory 
  were 
  correct, 
  

   ought 
  he 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  placed 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  in 
  diflerent 
  subgenera, 
  

   and 
  shown 
  the 
  distinct 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  they 
  existed 
  ? 
  Bourns 
  

   and 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  si)ecimens 
  that 
  in 
  reality 
  the 
  types 
  

   of 
  these 
  supposed 
  species 
  were 
  representatives 
  of 
  one 
  form 
  which 
  dis- 
  

   plays 
  an 
  unusually 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  individual 
  variation. 
  This 
  form, 
  

   however, 
  does 
  exist 
  in 
  Mindanao 
  and 
  Basilan 
  together 
  with 
  (\ 
  iniii- 
  

   daneufiis, 
  a 
  little 
  red 
  woodland 
  species. 
  The 
  two 
  species 
  are 
  found 
  side 
  

   by 
  side 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  thickets, 
  their 
  habits 
  are 
  seemingly 
  identical, 
  and 
  

   a 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  

   has 
  failed 
  to 
  show 
  any 
  differences 
  in 
  their 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  blue 
  riparian 
  forms 
  formerly 
  classed 
  in 
  this 
  genus 
  have 
  been 
  

   shown 
  by 
  Grant 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Alcyone. 
  Steere 
  is 
  right 
  in 
  

   saying 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  invariably 
  found 
  along 
  streams 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  he 
  recognizes 
  

   an 
  ally 
  of 
  C. 
  melanura 
  in 
  C. 
  ei(erythra, 
  his 
  statement 
  tluit 
  the 
  foimer 
  

   species 
  and 
  its 
  allies 
  are 
  always 
  found 
  away 
  from 
  streams 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   forest 
  is 
  certainly 
  incorrect. 
  

  

  Speaking 
  of 
  Halcyon 
  giikirls, 
  H. 
  coromand<(, 
  and 
  B. 
  chloris^ 
  he 
  says 
  

   that 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  frequent 
  the 
  water, 
  "7/. 
  gi<larin 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  open 
  

   plains, 
  feeding 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  or 
  perched 
  in 
  low 
  trees; 
  //. 
  coromanda 
  

   in 
  low, 
  thick 
  undergrowth 
  in 
  forests, 
  and 
  //. 
  chloris 
  quite 
  generally 
  near 
  

   the 
  sea 
  beach, 
  and 
  often 
  in 
  open 
  cocoa 
  groves 
  about 
  the 
  coast 
  villa.^es." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  my 
  observation 
  that 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  frequents 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  times. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  H. 
  f/uhtris 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  over 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  Lake 
  Xaujan 
  in 
  Mindoro, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  commonly 
  met 
  with 
  along 
  

   the 
  banks 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  streams, 
  as 
  is 
  II. 
  chloris. 
  The 
  latter 
  species 
  

   is 
  es])ecially 
  abundant 
  about 
  tide 
  water, 
  in 
  mangrove 
  swamps. 
  I 
  have 
  

   twice 
  shot 
  H. 
  coromanda 
  over 
  water 
  in 
  mangrove 
  swamps, 
  but 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   our 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  forest, 
  along 
  fresh-water 
  streams. 
  

   In 
  Sibuyan 
  two 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  my 
  own 
  yard, 
  where 
  they 
  

   had 
  come 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  land 
  snails 
  which 
  were 
  thrown 
  out 
  as 
  

   we 
  cleaned 
  the 
  shells. 
  These 
  birds 
  were 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  both 
  forest 
  and 
  

   water. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  agree 
  with 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  Osmotreron 
  vernans 
  feeds 
  

   from 
  bushes 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  0. 
  axillarhs, 
  which 
  

   feeds 
  from 
  trees. 
  Both 
  species 
  certainly 
  feed 
  together 
  in 
  fruit 
  trees, 
  for 
  

  

  