224 NOTES ON SIKHIM BIRDS. 



122. Nyctiornis athertoni. — Bill horny-blackish. Iridea 

 pale golden. Forehead greenish-cajrulian. 



123. Coracias indica. — Only the lower back is blue. The 

 greater portion is dusky brown with a pale blue spot on the shoulder, 

 •which C. affinis has not got. 



124. C afiinis. — Lores and ear-coverts light hair-brown. 

 Cheeks, throat, and breast with purple shaft streaks, becoming 

 cserulian on throat. 



126. Eurystomus Orientalis. — Bill deep coral red, except 

 the tip of culuien which is dark horny ; and none of the birds in May 

 have any blue on the upper jiart of head-lores, cheeks or ear-coverts. 



127. Pelargopsis gurial. — Side by side with the typical 

 race exists a smaller race about 13*5 in length with a very much 

 lighter cap of pale ashy-brown, and the chin is almost white ; the buff 

 under-jjlumage also is much less deep or rich. The kingfishers are 

 confined to the lower and outer hills owing to the scarcity of fish in 

 the higher glacier-fed streams. 



129. Halcyon smyrnensiS. — The tail feathers have black 

 shafts, and all except the uppermost two have black margins to the 

 inner webs. 



131. H. COromandelianus.— Mr. Gammie gives its call as 

 '■ piccadilhj-ooh-ooh-ooh^ 



134. AlcedO bengalensis.— One male from the Dichhu 

 river shot in Marcli, length 6*2. Irides dull crimson, differs from all 

 the other specimens in having no rufous band posterior to the eye — 

 the ear-coverts in their entire extent being cobalt with darkish streaks. 

 Its chin and throat are pale buff — not pure white, and the rest of its 

 lower surface is very deep ferruginous, almost chestnut. 



138. Psarisomus dalhousiae.— Bill dingy olive wilh culmen 

 and mental ridgo lemon-yellow ; the commissure margins whitish-horny. 

 No rictal bristles. 



139. Serilophus rubropygius.— Has a somewhat shrike- 

 like apj)carance with rictal bristly feathers and hairs. Ii-ides dark 

 slate. Orbital skin citrine. Bill dark plumbeous-ohve with bony- 

 yellow culmen and mental ridge; tip and commissure pale horny. 

 Tarsus pale greenish-yellow. Metatarsus cobalt. Claws darkly livid 

 with horny dorsal line and tips. An ill-defined supercilium of deep slaty- 

 blue continued backwards to the margin of crest as dark hair-brown. 

 The first primary quill without blue ; the others, excejjt the second 

 with a white streak on the inner border of the blue S2)ot in outer web. 

 The secondaries with a white subterminal streak bordering tlie bar 

 of the slaty-blue tip. Beneath pale slaty-grey. The nuchal ])atch or 

 demi-collar silvery-white in two specimens ; in the third, December 29th 

 there is no trace of this white. Mr. Gammie has taken its nest at 3,800'. 



