Acheen. 451 



Tlie following is a list of the species actually obtained : 



132.— Halcyon cMoris, Bodd. 



Nine specimens^ four males and five females^, were o1)tained. 

 These are the true chloris, they average^ it is true, slightly 

 larger, as I shall more parti(;ularly explain below, than speci- 

 mens from various parts of the Andaman group and the Cocos ; 

 but they are in other respects precisely similar, and this is the 

 more remarkable, because throughout the Nicobar group (which 

 lie midway between the Andaman Islands and Acheen, and 

 which were apparently beyond question at some past stage in 

 the world's history part of one unbroken mountain range stretch- 

 ing from Arracan to the southernmost point of Sumatra at 

 any rate), a totally distinct species, H. occipitalis, Blyth, occurs, 

 to the absolute exclusion of II. c/iloris. 



As regards K. occipitalis from the Nicobars the distinctness 

 of which was uncertain when Mr. Sharpe published his magni- 

 ficent monograph of this family, I may mention that this 

 gentleman to whom I sent a specimen, now entirely agrees with 

 me, that Blyth's is a good species^ more nearly allied perhaps to 

 H. Jiili(&, Heine, than to chloris. 



In regard to chloris, generally, Mr. Sharpe remarks 'Wery 

 great variation in the shades of green and blue is observable 

 in this species, for which I am imable to account as a sexual 

 difference, as the females do not appear to be less brightly color- 

 ed than the males. I believe, therefore, that the brilliancy of 

 plumage depends on the age of the bird, the green tints pre- 

 dominating in the more adult.''' 



Now in the first place I would remark that the color of chloris 

 ■depends wonderfully on the light in which the bird is looked 

 at ; if looked at against the light, that is to say when one is 

 facing the light, they look much bluer, while, if looked at stand- 

 ing with one's back to the light, they are very much greener. 

 Setting this, however, aside, with forty-one specimens carefully 

 sexed before me from the Sunderbunds, the Cocos, the Andamans, 

 and Acheen, it is very manifest that the females and the young 

 males are much greener, and the adult males much bluer, and as 

 far as I can judge the older the males, the bluer they get. 



The bills in this species vary much in shape and size ; primarily, 

 110 doubt, according to locality; the Sunderbund birds for instance 

 having the smallest bills of all, very much more compressed to- 

 wards the point than any others, and also having the white 

 supercilium more developed than in any others that I have seen ; 

 but the bills also vary much in the same locality according to 

 individuals, some having them worn away towards the points 



