124 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



nearly hatched ; they were 1 inch in length, in colour white, but much 

 stained with brown matter. 



" The bird appears to build its own nest, and certainly hatches its own 

 egg ; for on two occasions during the last few days I have stood close by 

 and watched it sitting. It did not utter any note or cry, not even when 

 disturbed from its nest." 



Genus RHAMPHOCOCCYX, Cab. et Hein. 



507. RHAMPHOCOCCYX ERYTHROGNATHUS. 



THE GREATER RED-BILLED MALKOHA. 



Phcenicophaeus erythrognathus, Hartl. Verz. Mus. Brem. p. 95. Rhampho- 

 coccyx erythrognathus, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 74 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 89 ; 

 Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 393. Phcenicophaes erythrognathus, BL B. Burm. 

 p. 81. Phcenicophaus erythrognathus, Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi. p. 165. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead, crown, nape, ear-coverts, 

 a mandibular stripe and the angle of the chin ashy grey ; the whole upper 

 plumage, including the wings, metallic green ; the primaries tinged with 

 blue ; lower plumage and sides of neck chestnut, becoming tinged with 

 blackish more and more till the vent and thighs are smoky black ; under 

 tail-coverts dull ferruginous ; tail metallic green, the terminal third of the 

 feathers being deep ferruginous ; under wing- coverts greenish. 



Legs and feet dark plumbeous, or dark bluish or plumbeous green ; facial 

 skin deep red ; lower mandible to beyond the gonys, and upper mandible 

 at base below the nostril, dark maroon-red ; rest of upper mandible pale 

 green; rest of lower mandible green, generally darker than the upper 

 mandible, sometimes shaded with dusky ; irides turquoise- or pale blue in 

 the male, bright yellow in the female. (Davison.) 



Length 19 inches, tail 10 f 5, wing 6*8, tarsus 1-65, bill from gape 1*8. 

 The female is rather smaller. 



The Greater Red-billed Malkoha has been found in Tenasserim by 

 Mr. Davison. It appears to be very common in the southernmost 

 portions, getting rarer northwards and apparently not occurring north of 

 the Yea river. 



It inhabits the Malay peninsula, extending into Sumatra, Bangka and 

 Borneo. 



Mr. Mottley, as quoted by Dr. Sclater in the P. Z. S. 1863, remarks of this 

 bird in Borneo : " A rather common bird about Martapora in the dry 



