20 Messrs. Robinson and Kloss on Birds from the 



Asarcornis leucoptera (Blyth) ; Gates, Man. Game Birds 

 Ind. pt. ii. p. 136 et seqq. (1899); Robinson, Journ. Fed. 

 Malay States, iv. p. 132 (1910). 



This Dnck wa-^ very abundant in Trang, from various 

 districts in which State we have obtained over a dozen 

 specimens. 



At Chong near the foot of the main dividing-range, which 

 was the only locality in which we personally met with tiie 

 species, it was fairly numerous and used to come down to 

 the partially flooded rice-fields to feed in the early morning 

 and late afternoon. For so heavy and solid a bird it was a 

 very powerful flier and capable of carrying off a large 

 dose of lead. In the evening, after feeding, it went off" to 

 roost in the patches of jungle growing on small and steep 

 hills rising from the general level of the rice-fields. The 

 specimens that we ourselves examined had been feeding 

 on very large snails, apparently a species of Ampullaria, 

 with which their crops were crammed. 



The changes of plnmage are very puzzling in this species, 

 and we are rather doubtful whether the sexes really differ 

 in any material particular, save the slightly larger size of 

 thft male. 



Of the eight specimens now before us, four are almost 

 uniform glossy black below and have the mantle and back 

 also black, the former glossed with metallic green. The 

 black wing-speculum beneath the white shoulder is broad 

 and clearly defined, and the bills are bright yellow blotched 

 with fuscous. 



Three of these specimens are sexed male and are un- 

 doubtedly adult. They have the bony knobs at the angle of 

 the wing well developed. A fourth is sexed female by the 

 collector, but cannot be in any way distinguished from the 

 other three specimens. 



A fifth bird has the under surface brown, a black collar 

 round the fore-neck, and the upper surface dull oily brown, 

 some glossy green feathers are, however, appearing. The 

 speculum on the wing is ill-defined and the " knuckle- 

 dusters " not very pronounced ; bill paler than in the others 

 and more heavily blotched. Wing 14*2 inches. 



