214 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums.  [VOou. X, 
Xi. NOTES ON SOME ORIENTAL BIRDS. 
By C. BopEN KLOSs, M.B.O.U., C.F.A.0.U. 
HALCYON (SAUROPATIS) CHLORIS. 
Either together or separately Mr. H. C. Robinson and 
I have hitherto not seen our way to accept all the races of 
Malaysian Blue-and-white Kingfishers that Dr. H. C. 
Oberholser recognises and proposes (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 
55, 1919, pp. 351-395). But now with about 80 specimens 
from Bangkok, south through the Malay Peninsula to 
Johore ; 8 from North-east Sumatra ; 16 from Benkoolen, 
the Padang districts and Korinchi, West Sumatra (C. 
cyanescens Oberh.) ; and 18 from all parts of Java (C 
palmeri Oberh.) I have to revise my opinions somewhat.* 
I cannot perceive all the differential characters 
Oberholser gives in his key and diagnoses : however, in the 
large series of continental birds I find a few males—a 
distinct minority—that are a deeper, less greenish. blue than 
the others and these make the series as a whole look more 
blue ; as stated, there is frequently a pronounced wash of 
buff on the flanks which the others lack : the continental 
birds are certainly smaller: and so are eight specimens from 
the Deli district of North-east Sumatra, which on this 
account I should rank with them, though Oberholser says 
that East Sumatran birds as far north as Deli are 
cyanescens. The wings of my continental birds range 
from 97 to 106 mm. ; those of the Deli examples from 96 
to 104 mm. : and those of the West Sumatra specimens from 
104 to 112 mm. 
Oberholser considers that birds from the Sunderbunds 
to Singapore are all armstrongi (type, a Siamese skin of 
Gould's collection), and that birds called humii by Sharpe 
(type, a Selangor bird of Hume’s collection) are insepar- 
able : but I find, on the contrary, that the great majority 
of birds from the Malay Peninsula have the earcoverts more 
blackish, or of a darker different blue, than the birds of the 
Inner Gulf of Siam which have the earcoverts of the same 
blue as the crown though sometimes a trifle darker in tint ; 
and on this ground, and because of a deeper buffy wash on 
the flanks and of a pronounced black nuchal band in most 
of the specimens (obsolete or absent in the Siamese birds) 
humit may be maintained for birds of the Peninsula, south 
of the Isthmus of Kra and for those of North-east Sumatra. 
There seems to be no difference in size : the wings of the 
24 more Northern birds (armstrongi) range frem 98 to 
106 mm. ; those of the Peninsular series from 97 to 106 mm. 
and those of the Sumatran set of humii from 96 to 104 mm. 
Sauropatis chloris cyanescens Oberh. (op. cit. 52, 1917. 
p. 189: type from Pulau Taya, Southern China Sea, north 
*t am indebted to Mr. W. J. F. Williamson, c.m.c., for the loan 
of 24 examples from ihe head of the Gulf of Siam; to Heer E. 
Jacobson for a dozen from West Sumatra and to Heer. A. C. F. A. 
van Heyst for examples from North-east Sumatra. 
