from the Andaman Islands. 301 



8. Thriponax hodgii (Blyth), J. A. S. B. 1860, p. 105, 

 " Port Blair." 



S. Andaman. 



9. Merops quinticolor, Vieillot, N. Diet. xiv. p. 81 (1817), 

 ex Levaillant. 



Le Guepier quinticolor, Levaillant, Hist. Nat. Guepiers, 

 p. 51, pi. 15, " Ceylon/' 



"S.Andaman: January and February, cf, ?, iris lake, 

 legs and feet greenish black, bill black." 



Appears to be very common. In no respect different from 

 Ceylon, Malabar, and Burmese examples. 



Mr. Swinhoe has pointed out (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 348. no. 81) 

 that the Javan form is specifically different from the Indian. 

 One character mentioned by him is not peculiar to the Javan 

 bird, namely the blue tail. The Javan species, however, ap- 

 pears constantly to want the chestnut triangular throat-mark, 

 the yellow throat being sharply separated from the green breast 

 by a well-defined black band. Mr. Swinhoe further remarks 

 that the Indian species must take the title of Merops erythro- 

 cephalus, Briss. This is Gmelin's title (S. N. i. p. 463. 

 no. 13), founded on Merops indicus erythrocephalus, Briss. 

 (Ornith. iv. p. 563), a species which Brisson never saw, and 

 which he described from a drawing made by Poivre of a bird 

 said to have come from the East Indies. It is impossible 

 from Brisson's account to determine the species ; and Gmelin's 

 title must therefore be suppressed. Vieillot bestowed the 

 title of quinticolor on a species figured and described by Le- 

 vaillant (I.e.), and of which Levaillant states that he had 

 received eight individuals, dried, from Ceylon. The plate 

 and description are, notwithstanding, taken from a Javan bird. 

 At page 55 of the same work Levaillant figured and de- 

 scribed a second species, said to have been brought from Java 

 by Laichenot. An immature example of either the Javan or 

 the Indian species is represented ; but as Levaillant describes 

 the throat as being covered by " unc plaque triangulaire d'un 

 roux jaunatre/' I suspect that the subject of his description 

 was either a Ceylonese or a continental example. On it 



y 2 



