THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 167 



towards their bases, giving a slightly dusky appearance to these 

 parts. A line from the' nostrils over the eye, the sides of the 

 head and nape, the chin and throat, and sides of the 

 throat below the ear-coverts, a pale ochreous buff, duller 

 and dingier on the head. The lower part of the neck 

 all round, breast, abdomen, sides, wing lining, axillaries, 

 tibial plumes, and lower tail coverts, a rich ochreous buff. The 

 interscapulary region and all but the longest scapulars and 

 lesser coverts a rich deep blue, not so deep or dark as indio-o, 

 with a greenish tinge which looked at in a certain light is very 

 conspicuous. The quills dark hair brown ; the second to the 

 fifth primaries deep blue, on the outer webs, above the emargina- 

 tions ; the rest of the quills the same color on the whole of the 

 outer webs ; and the tertiaries and later secondaries on the 

 inner webs also at the tips ; the longer scapulars and the greater 

 and median coverts similar ; in some lights there is not much 

 difference in color between the smaller scapulars and the quills, 

 but in other lights the former and some of the lesser coverts 

 become decidedly green. The tail feathers, and the longest 

 and lateral upper tail coverts, the same color as the secondaries, 

 but slightly brighter. The whole of the back, the centre of 

 the rump, and the central shorter upper tail coverts a very 

 bright pale smalt blue. 



Mr. Davison remarks : — " This species replaces the last in the 

 Nicobars ; like it, it is excessively shy and wary, seldom 

 allowing of a closer approach than 60 or 70 yards ; it keeps 

 almost exclusively to the sea shore, and usually chooses some 

 exposed, dry branch to perch on/' 



We never saw this species except in the southern division of 

 the Nicobars ; and in these we only observed it at Galatea Bay 

 on Kondul, Pilu Milu, Montshall, and Little Nicobars. The first 

 specimen we shot was perched on the top of a stake out in the 

 sea, some 20 yards from the shore. Even where it occurs it is a 

 rare bird, and I do not think that we saw more than a dozen from 

 first to last. 



129.— Halcyon smyrnensis, Lin. (32.) 



Lord Walden recently observed, after examining six speci- 

 mens of this species from the South Andamans, that u they 

 differ from individuals from all other parts of Asia in the 

 intensity of their color ; instead of chesnut brown the plumao-e 

 of the head, shoulder-coverts, flanks, and under-surface is 

 deep chocolate brown, and the blue portion of the plumage 

 is much deeper in shade." 



