BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 79 



132 ter.— Carcineutes pulchellus, Horsf. (17). 



Meetan ; Amherst ; Mergui ; Palaw-ton-ton ; Bankasoon ; Malewoon. 



Not uncommon in the southern half of the province, but not 

 as yet observed in the northern. 



[I did not meet with this species to the north of Amhei'st, 

 but there and to the southward it occurred sparingly. Of 

 course, as is well known, this species is not a water Kingfisher. 

 It frequents the forest, avoiding the denser parts. I have killed 

 a good number both in Tenasserim and the Straits, but I have 

 not, as described by Mr. Wallace (Sharpe, Mon. Alcd., p, 251), 

 met with them, specially frequenting thickets near streams. 

 I have found them in all kinds of localities in the forest, some- 

 times it is true near streams, sometimes many miles away from 

 any water. Their food I found consisted chiefly of small lizards 

 and various insects, such as wood-lice, &c. — W. D.] 



Having now preserved a very lai'ge series of this species from 

 all parts of Tenasserim, south of Amherst and Meetan, say the 

 16° N. Lat., and also in the Malayan Peninsula, 1 entertain 

 no doubt that my Carcineutes amabilis, S. F., 1873, 474, is, as 

 asserted by Mr. Sharpe, S. F., 1874, 484, identical with the 

 present species. 



The following are the dimensions and colors of the soft parts 

 recorded from numerous Tenasserim specimens : — 



Males.— Length, 8'5 to 9-0 ; expanse, 11*75 to 12*5 ; tail, 2*82 

 to 3*12 ; wing, 3-33 to 3-45 ; tarsus, 0-55 to 62 ; bill from gape, 

 1-8 to 1-85 ; weight, 1-8 to 2ozs. 



Legs and feet dull pale green ; claws black ; bill vermilion 

 red ; base of lower mandible brownish red ; gape generally yel- 

 lowish white ; irides purplish grey. 



Females.— Length, 812 to 8'8; expanse, 11-8 to 12-5 ; tail, 

 3* to 342 ; wing-, 3"3 to 3'45 ; tarsus, 0-5 to 062 ; bill from 

 gape, 1-7 to 1-95 ; weight, 175 to 2*25 ozs. 



Colors of the soft parts as in the male. 



In the quite young bird the bills are dark horny brown, 

 with extreme tips pale orange brown ; later the lower mandible 

 becomes orange, the upper mandible gets a redder tinge, and so 

 the bill passes gradually to the brilliant vermilion of the adult. 



In the male, the forehead and anterior half of the crown, 

 lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck dark chestnut ; 

 chin and throat pure white ; posterior half of crown, occiput, 

 and nape pure smalt blue, in very perfect specimens absolutely 

 unbroken, but this blue is merely a broad tipping to the feathers, 

 which inside are grey, banded with white and black towards the 

 tips, and a good deal of this white and black often shows through 

 amongst the blue of the crest. The color of the blue of the 

 head varies according to the time that has elapsed since the 



