130 ALCEDINIDJE. 



N. H. Soc. i, pp. 32, 197 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, 

 p. 11 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 101. 



Pelargopsis burmanica, Sharpe, P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 67 ; id. Mon. Ale. 

 p. 109, pi. 35 ; Ball, J. A. 8. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 277 ; id. S. F. i, p. 57 ; 

 Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 136 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 165 j iii, p. 50; id. 

 Cat, no. 127 bis; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Bingham, 

 S. F. v, p. 83 : ix, p. 154 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 73 ; Oates, 

 B. B. ii, p. 78 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 12 ; Sharpe. 

 Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 104. 



The Brown-headed Kingfisher, Jerdon : Gurial Beng. ; Badami Kow- 

 rilla, H. (Oude) ; Maha pelihudmca, Waturanuwa, Cing. ; Hsin-pay- 

 nyin, Burm. 



Fig. 36. Head of P. gurial, f . 



Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head, including the 

 cheeks and ear-coverts, brown, varying in shade from dark brown 

 to (in some Burmese birds) whity-brown ; neck all round and 

 lower parts, including wing-lining, varying from buff to deep 

 brownish yellow, usually deeper on the breast and abdomen ; upper 

 back, scapulars, wings, longer tail-coverts, and tail dull greenish 

 blue ; quills and tail bluer ; primaries except outer webs towards 

 the base, inner webs of secondaries, and lower surface of tail 

 brown ; back, rump, and shorter tail-coverts bright pale blue. 



In young birds the buff feathers of the neck and breast have 

 dark edges ; the end of the bill, too, is dusky. 



Bill dark blood-red ; irides light brown ; legs dull scarlet 

 (Jerdon). Eyelids pinkish fleshy, the edges red (Oates). 



Length about 15 ; tail 4 ; wing 6 ; tarsus *75 ; bill from gape 3-8. 



The Burmese race has been distinguished as P. burmanica. Very 

 many Burmese specimens have pale whity-brown caps and dark 

 ochraceous lower parts, but birds in abundance occur throughout 

 Burma that are absolutely undistinguishable from many Indian 

 individuals. Very dark-headed birds are peculiar to India (the 

 darkest are from the Malabar coast), but they are not a majority. 

 The two races are not, I think, sufficiently distinct to be classed 

 apart. 



Distribution. Along rivers and streams and about large pieces 

 of water in well-wooded countries almost throughout the Empire. 



