THE LESSER RED-BILLED MALKOHA. 125 



gravelly thickets, concealing itself among the bushwoods, and when dis- 

 turbed taking very short flights. Its note is a hoarse chatter, much like 

 that of a Magpie." 



Mr. Davison states that it frequents open forest, gardens and thick 

 secondary scrub, by preference the latter. 



Genus ZANCLOSTOMUS, Swains. 



508. ZANCLOSTOMUS JAVANICUS. 



THE LESSER RED-BILLED MALKOHA. 



Phcenicophaus javanicus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 178 ; id. Zool. Res. 

 Java, pi. Zanclostomus javanicus, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 75 ; El. B. Burm. 

 p. 81 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 167 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 89. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead, crown, nape, the sides and 

 back of the neck and the ear-coverts ashy grey, tinged with fulvous on 

 the forehead ; remainder of the upper plumage, wings and tail metallic 

 green tinged with blue ; the tail-feathers tipped with white ; lores, cheeks, 

 chin, throat, fore neck and breast chestnut ; abdomen fulvous-grey ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts deep chestnut ; sides of the body and under wing- 

 coverts ashy. 



Legs and feet plumbeous, dark and with more or less of a green shade ; 

 bill coral-red ; gape dull smalt ; naked space round the eye blue, in some 

 pale, in some a bright smalt ; irides brown, in some deep, in some light ; 

 in somewhat younger birds the culmen and tip of lower mandible are 

 black. (Davison.) 



Length 18 inches, tail 11, wing 5'8, tarsus 1-3, bill from gape 1'5. The 

 female is of the same size. 



The Lesser Red-billed Malkoha is found in Tenasserim from Tavoy 

 southwards. 



It extends down the Malay peninsula, and it is met with in Sumatra, 

 Java and Borneo. 



There is nothing on record about its habits. 



