SAUROPATI8. 137 



serim and Sumatra, and is described as a distinct species. It is a 

 very blue form, some birds having scarcely any green tinge on 

 the back even, but others show a complete passage to H. arm- 

 strongi, which inhabits the same countries. There is no nuchal 

 band. 



H. davisoni, the Andaman race, is blue like H. humii, but lias 

 black ear-coverts and a black nuchal band. 



Habits, $c. An inhabitant of sea-shores and of tidal waters, 

 living chiefly on Crustacea, but partly on insects, centipedes, small 

 lizards, &c. Hume mentions observing birds of this species 

 hammering shells that contained hermit-crabs against stones in 

 order to break the shells. They are noisy birds. The nest is 

 said to be sometimes made under a stone or bush, but Davison 

 found one in a deserted ants' nest tenanted by hornets (from the 

 description much like a termites' nest, a pile of hard clay against 

 a tree trunk) at Mergui. The eggs are said to measure about 

 1-4 by 1. 



1048. Sauropatis occipitalis. Blyth's White-collared Kingfisher. 



Todiramphus occipitalis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, pp. 23, 51, 369; 



Sail, J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 31. 

 Todirharnphus collaris, var. Blyth, Cat. p. 48. 

 Halcyon occipitalis, Pdzeln, Novara Reise, Vb'yel, p. 46 ; Ball, S. F. 



i, p. 58; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 171 ; id. Cat, no. 132 bis; Davison, 



Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. in, p. 19 ; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 265. 



Coloration. Similar to that of S. chloris, but the crown is sur- 

 rounded by a buff rim formed by the lores, supercilia, and a band 

 round the nape ; outside this again is a black band, more or less 

 washed with green, especially behind the eyes, and commencing 

 from the eye, including eyes and ear-coverts, and passing round 

 the nape. The lower parts are buff, especially the flanks, wing- 

 lining, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts. As in S. chloris, some 

 specimens are greener than others. In young birds the feathers 

 of the white collar and breast have dark edges. 



Upper mandible, and the tip and edge of the lower dark horny, 

 rest of lower mandible pinkish ; legs and feet pinkish (Hume). 



Length about 10 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 4-25 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from 

 gape 1*7. 



Distribution. The Nicobar Islands, where this is a common bird. 

 Its nearest ally, H. julicp, inhabits the New Hebrides. 



Habits, $c. Very similar to those of H. chloris, but this bird is 

 said by Davison to be more often found in forest. It lives 

 chiefly on lizards and shell-fish. Davison found three nests on 

 Camorta, all in ants' nests of clay, 12 to 30 inches in diameter 

 and 4 to 20 feet from the ground, against trunks of trees. There 

 was a tunnel 6 inches long and 2 or 2| in diameter, leading to the 

 bird's nest, a chamber 7 inches across. A single egg, obtained 

 from a female that was shot, measured 1*16 by *98. 



