128 MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 
of the year. Among these, after a very rough night in 
October, I obtained alive one of these little Kingfishers, which 
having flown into the barracks, had been caught by the soldiers. 
In exactly the same way one was caught by some of the detach- 
ment of my regiment at Malacca. 
ALCEDO BENGALENSIS (Gm.). The Blue-billed Gaper. 
This Kingfisher, very like but smaller than the English species 
is common everywhere, frequenting the small streams w ee: 
meander through the paddy-fields. 
An adult, shot in Pérak on 6th Feb., measured 62 inches in 
length, beak at front 13 inch ; irides dark-brown; legs red. 
CYMBIRHYNCHUS MACRORHYNCHUS (Gm.). The Blue-billed Ga- 
per. 
A common bird in the country round Malacca, also in Pérak ; 
but I only once met with it on the island of Singapore ; it is aoe 
often found on the outskirts of thick jungle, or on the edges of 
clearings, though, if it were not for its bright colours, it would 
seldom be noticed, being a retiring and particularly silent bird, 
and, except during the breeding-seasons, rather inclined to be 
solitary. 
The Blue-billed Gaper breeds during April and May; and the 
following account of its nesting I take from my note-book :— 
“ Kwala Kangsa, Pérak, 5th May, 1877. This afternoon, while 
stalking jungle-fowl, which towards dusk come out to feed along 
the outskirts of the jungle, I saw a Blue-billed Gaper fly out of a 
large, roughly-made, domed nest, which was hanging from the 
topmost twigs of a slender sapling, at about 10 feet from the 
ground; over the entrance, which was on one side, a kind of roof 
projected, like the slanting shade of a cottage-door. Internally 
the nest was rather neatly ae with flags and Bree leaves, and 
contained four white eggs, 1; inch long by -& broad, blotched 
(principally at the larger end) with rusty-brown eres 3 
I found several other nests, all very much alike, both as regards 
construction and situation: in fact the above is a typical deserip- 
tion; but I may add that in every case the tree to which the nest 
was suspended grew either in or on the edge of a swamp. 
The sexes do not differ in plumage; and apparently there is 
