Rosson & Kross: Birds of West Sumatra. — 233 
ALCEDINIDAE. 
75. Ramphalcyon capensis cyanopteryx Oberholser. 
Rese Kl ps 80: 
é, 2. Buo, Padang Highlands, 280 M. 
@. Aur, Kumanis, Padang Highlands, 200 M. 
?. Koto Alam, Pajokumbuh, Padang Highlands, 
320 M. : 
2¢@. Pasir Ganting, Indrapura. 
Iris very dark brown, eyelids minium red, bill lake 
red, apical part of culmen and tip of upper and lower 
mandible blackish, feet lake red, claws blackish. The 
female No. 5132 had developed ovaries (October). 
Wings, 3 142; ¢ 140, 147, 150, 151, 157 mm. 
This big Kingfisher is a permanent inhabitant of the 
lagoons and estuaries on the coast and also of inland 
swamps and lake shores. It is at times a very vociferous 
bird and does much damage to fishponds. 
It is with considerabie hesitation that we recognise 
Oberholser’s name for these birds. The proposed race is 
based on a specimen from Tapanuli Bay and is considered 
to include the birds occurring northwards from Padang. 
We have compared the series with an equal series of 
R.c. javana (Bodd.) from Sarawak (wings 143-156 mm.). 
Three of the Sumatran birds are inseparable from three 
of the Bornean ; the remaining Sumatran birds have darker, 
browner caps than these six, the rest of the Bornean birds 
have brighter, more intensely ochraceous caps. 
We agree with Dr. Oberholser, however, that North 
Sumatran and Bornean Birds are not the same as those 
of Java (R. c. capensis) or of Singapore and the Rhio 
Archipelago south to Lingga Island (C. c. hydrophila): the 
mantle, wings and tail are of a much richer blue than 
these last. Dr. Oberholser considers that the southern parts 
of Sumatra and Billiton Island are occupied by the Javanese 
form and in addition to the above recognizes and describes 
the following subspecies of Ramphalcyon from localities 
around Sumatra :—inlermedia (Hume), Nicobars; simalu- 
rensis (Richmond) Simalur Id.; sodalis (Richmond), 
Banjak Ids. ; nesoeca Oberh., Nias Id. ; isoptera Oberh., 
Pagi Ids. ; and malaccensis (Sharpe), Malay Peninsula. 
