304 A Contribution to Malayan Ornithology. [No. 4, 



The Malayan bird, though identical in coloration with the 

 Indian one, seems to be smaller, at least of four specimens 

 shot in the Wellesley Province, opposite Penang, three have the 

 wing scarcely longer than If inch, and only one has it 1£, but 

 none reaches 2 inches, the tail is nearly one inch, and the bill at 

 front is f " ; the wing coverts and scapulars have a rather bluish 

 green lustre, and the scarlet above is either very bright and al- 

 most pure or with a slight yellowish tinge. Vise. Walden (Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. Lond., 1866, p. 544) draws attention to these differences, 

 but I hardly think that they are sufficient to warrant a specific dis- 

 tinction. Should this, however, bo the case the name cocci 'neum, 

 Scop., would stand for the Eastern, Malayan and Chinese form, 

 for the type of this is said to have been obtained from China, and 

 the Indian race had to be called crucntatum. I believe, however, 

 that smaller races, similar to the Malayan ones, also occur locally 

 in India and Burma, and that there is no sufficient ground for a 

 specific separation. 



Fam. MEROPIDuE. 



45. Merops Philipptnus, Linn. 



Gould, B. Asia, pt. VII ; J e r d o n B. India, I, p. 207. 



Specimens from the Wellesley Province are perfectly identical in 

 size and coloration with those from India. The last tertiaries are 

 almost wholly dull greenish blue, not only on the outer edge, as 

 shewn in G o u 1 d 's figure. 



Fam. MOTAGILLIBjE. 



46. Henictjrtts Ciiinensis, Gould. 

 Birds of Asia, pt. XVIII. 



I obtained only one specimen from the Wellesley Province ; ffc 

 quite agrees with the figures and measurements recorded of the 

 species. 



47. Henicttrtjs rttficapilltjs, T e m m. 

 Planches Col. 534. 



A specimen from the Wellesley Province almost perfectly agrees 

 with Temminck's figure, except that there is a little less black 

 on the top of head separating the frontal white from the rufous 

 brown of the crown and of the neck. The lateral black stripes 



