THE BURMESE STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER. 79 



the lower neck, breast aud abdomen ; the sides of the neck and a broad 

 collar round the neck orange-buff; upper back, scapulars, tertiaries, 

 wing-coverts and the longer upper tail-coverts greenish blue ; lower back, 

 rump and the shorter tail-coverts ultramarine- blue ; inner webs of pri- 

 maries and secondaries brown ; the outer webs of the secondaries and the 

 basal portion of the outer webs of the primaries greenish blue ; tail blue, 

 tinged with purple. In very old birds the wavy lines on the lower plumage 

 disappear. 



The female differs only in having the back and scapulars tinged with 

 brown. 



Bill dark red, brown at the tip ; mouth dark salmon-red ; iris dark 

 brown ; eyelids pinkish fleshy, the edges red ; feet a paler red than the bill ; 

 claws horn. 



Length 14'5 inches, tail 4*5, wing 6, tarsus '7, bill from gape 3'75. The 

 female is larger. 



The Burmese Stork-billed Kingfisher is abundant over the whole of 

 Pegu and Tenasserim, and probably also Arrakan, although its occurrence 

 in this Division has not yet been noted. Dr. Armstrong did not observe 

 it in the Irrawaddy Delta, but I received skins from Yandoon, and it pro- 

 bably occurs over the whole of the low plains composing the Delta. 



It is recorded from the Andaman Islands and from Siam. Dr. Tiraud 

 states that it is found in Cochin China, and it extends down the Malay 

 peninsula as far at least as Malacca. 



This Kingfisher, one of the commonest and best known in Burmah, is 

 found alike in the hills and plains, and is especially abundant in the 

 nullahs of the former. It has a very loud and striking note, and it feeds 

 not only on fish, but also on reptiles. In the rains it may frequently be 

 seen busy catching fish in the inundated plains in the south of Pegu, 

 seating itself on the telegraph-wires which traverse the fields, and darting 

 into the water with great impetuosity. I found the eggs in a hole of a 

 river-bank near Pegu in April; they were four in number. Captain 

 Bingham found the eggs in the Thoungyeen valley in February, March 

 and April in the holes of banks, and on one occasion he identified as the 

 nest of this bird a structure made of grass placed in a bamboo bush ; but 

 there is little doubt, I think, that he was deceived as to the ownership of 

 the nest. 



There are many races of this Kingfisher : P. gurial, of the Indian penin- 

 sula, with a dark brown cap; P. malaccensis, from Malacca, somewhat 

 similar to P. yurial, but much smaller; P. fraseri, from Malacca and some 

 of the islands, with a very indistinct cap ; P. intermedia, from the Nicobar 

 Islands ; and others from more remote regions. 



