382 Lieut. H. R. Kelham on 



weather prevalent at the breaking of the S.W. monsoon many 

 birds used to appear^ Avhich were rarely met with at other 

 seasons of the year. Among these^ after a very rough night 

 in October,, I obtained alive one of these little Kingfishers, 

 which, having flown into the barracks, had been caught by 

 the soldiers. 



In exactly the same way one Avas caught by some of the 

 detachment of my regiment at Malacca. 



Alcedo bengalensis, Gm. The ludian Kingfisher. 



This Kingfisher, very like but smaller than the English 

 species, is common everywhere, frequenting the small streams 

 which meander through the paddy-fields. 



An adult, shot in Perak on 6th Feb., measured 6| inches 

 in length, beak at front If inch; irides dark brown, legs red. 



Cymbiehynchus macrorhynchus (Gm.). The Blue-billed 

 Gaper. 



A common bird in the country round Malacca, also in 

 Perak ; but I only once met with it on the island of Singa- 

 pore ; it is most often found on the outskirts of thick jungle, 

 or on the edges of clearings — though, if it were not for its 

 bright colours, it would seldom be noticed, being a retiring 

 and particularly silent bird, and, except during the breeding- 

 season, rather inclined to be solitary. 



The Blue-billed Gaper breeds during April and May ; and 

 the following account of its nesting I take from my note- 

 book : — 



" Kwala Kangsar, Perak, 5th May, 1877. This afternoon, 

 while stalking jungle-fowl, which towards dusk come out to 

 feed along the outskirts of the jungle, I saw a Blue-billed 

 Gaper fly out of a large, roughly-made, domed nest, which 

 was hanging from the topmost twigs of a slender sapling, at 

 about 10 feet from the ground ; over the entrance, which was 

 on one side, a kind of roof projected, like the slanting shade 

 of a cottage-door. Internally the nest was rather neatly 

 lined with flags and green leaves, and contained four Avhite 

 eggs, 1 jl^ inch long by ^.j broad, blotched (principally at the 

 larger end) with rusty-brown marks.^' 



