406 Capt. P. J. Begbie on the Natural History 
rare birds. There is also the Ardea flavicollis, or yellow-necked 
heron. 
A large and very elegantly-plumaged bird is the Porphyrio 
viridis, the Ayam ayer* of the Malays, or the Malacca water-hen 
(syn. Porphyrio hyacinthinus,Temm. ; Gallinula porphyrio, Lath. ; 
Fulica porphyrio, Linn.). Body above green with a purple gloss, 
beneath violet. Bill, legs and front redt. 
Rallus philippensis, the Philippine rail; the Rallus pheenicurus, 
or the red-tailed rail; the Rallus stviuidudh or streaked rail; and 
the Plotus melanogaster, or Javan darter, are also numbered 
amongst the birds of the peninsula. This last is to be met with 
in great numbers between Ching and Malim, five miles from 
Malacca, in the swampy ground, which for the greatest portion 
of the year is overflowed by the river. It is three feet three 
inches long, and obtains its name from the celerity with which 
it darts its long serpentine neck forward, in the act of seizing any 
of the finny tribe, on whom it preys. Its plumage is by no means 
destitute of elegance. 
Mergus, the merganser, a plain and dusky-plumaged bird ; 
Coracias orientalis, the oriental roller ; the Nectarinia longirostra, 
or long-billed creeper; the Certhia viridis, or green creeper; the 
Picus martius, or greater black woodpecker; Picus flavicans, or 
yellow woodpecker ; 3 Picus malaccensis, or Malacca woodpecker ; 
the Picus galeatus, or crested woodpecker ; and Picus minor, or 
the lesser spotted woodpecker, may also be enumerated. 
There are numerous varieties of Kingfishers: the Alcedo collaris, 
or collared kingfisher ; the Alcedo atricapilla, or black-capped 
kingfisher ; the Alcedo smyrnensis, var.2, or Smyrna kingfisher ; 
the Alcedo tridactyla, or three-toed kingfisher ; a variety of the 
Alcedo leucocephala, or blue-headed kingfisher, differmg m being 
blue, barred with black above; cheeks, nape, and orbits of the 
eyes chestnut ; beneath pale rufous{; a variety of the Alcedo 
maculata, or spotted kingfisher, differing in being brown, barred 
with black-above ; and the Alcedo cristata, or crested kingfisher. 
There are three splendid species of the Barbet tribe, viz. the 
Bucco javensis of Horsfield, or the Javan barbet ; the Bucco ver- 
sicolor of Temm., or many-coloured barbet ; and the Bucco gularis 
of Reinwardt, or blue-throated barbet. They are all three re- 
markable for splendour and brilliancy of plumage. 
The Ploceus philippinus, Temm. (Lowxia major, Linn.), or the 
Philippine weaver ; and the Ploceus pensilis, Temm. (Lowxia pra- 
* From Ayama, fowl, and Ayer, water. 
+ This appears to be identical, not with the P. hyacinthus of Europe, but 
with P. indicus, Horsf. (P. smaragdinus, Temm.), from Java.—H., E. S, 
t The bird here described is the Haleyon pulchellus (Dacelo pulchellus, 
Horsf.),-—H. E. 8, 
