KQNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR, BAND 50. N:0 8. 13 



them on tlie ground carefully examining tlie ant-hills. Occasionally I also iioti- 

 ced the small black-and-white streaked Burmese Pigmy Woodpecker {lyngipicus cani- 

 capillus Blyth.) and I think this species was very common, but owing to its small 

 size, its plain colouring and its habit of keeping high up in the trees, it is not so 

 often noticed. From the bamboo-thickets was sometimes heard the faint tapping of a 

 Heart-spotted Woodpecker {Hemicercus canente Blyth,). The female of this species 

 has a yellow cap on the head, while the male has the whole head black. A very 

 curious species is the rufous-red 3Iicropternus phaioceps Blyth. belonging to the 

 family of ant-eating woodpeckers. It was mostly found in the bamboo-thickets; 

 less often in the open forests. From the bamboocliimps and especially from those 

 near the small creeks often sounded a beautifnl song and the singer turned out to 

 be the Shama {Cittocincla macrura Gm.). Along the rivers and rivulets pretty King- 

 fishers of several kinds, such as Alcedo ispida hengalensis Gm., Halcyon smyrnensis 

 fusca Bodd. and Pelargopsis gurial hurynanica Sharpe., were often observed, thougli 

 the last-mentioned two species do not seem to be very dependent on water and 

 were sometimes found rather far away in the forest. This is due to their feeding 

 more on insects and small lizards than on fish. Along the larger rivers and espe- 

 cially where the river had worn a deep bed in the ground lots of pretty-coloured 

 Bee-eaters {Melittophagus sivinhoii Hume.) were hunting insects and from the woods 

 the clear, metallic notes of the Indian Tree-pie {Dendrocitia ruja Hartl.) often 

 sounded. When approaching a bamboo-thicket I could be pretty sure to find a great 

 flock of the Siamese white-crested Laughing Thrush {Garrulax diardi Less.) accom- 

 panied by some specimens of the Racket-tailed Drongo {Dissemurus paradiseus L.), 

 Less often a longtailed bluish-black and white bird Avith a red bill disappeared 

 among the branches. It was the Red-billed Blue Magpie {Urocissa occipitalis Bly'th,), 

 As soon as a jungle fire broke out numbers of Drongos {Dicrurus äter Herm, 

 and Chibia hottentotta L,), Rollers {Goracias afjinis Mc Clell,), Jays {Garrulus leu- 

 cotis Hume.) and Shikras (Astur poliopsis Hume.) appeared on the scene to catch the 

 insects trying to escape the fire. The Rollers were otherwise very shy and it was 

 härd to get within shooting-range, but then they were quite fearless. The monoto- 

 nous dissyllabic note of the Lineated Barbet [Therciceryx lineatus hodgsoni Bp.) was 

 mingled with the harsh screaming call of Red-breasted Paroquets {Palceornis jasciata 

 Gray.), as these, in large flocks and with a swift, arrowlike flight were speeding 

 through the forests. The Indian Hoopoe [Upupa epops indica Reichenb.) was also 

 more common in the dry forests in the North than elsewhere, and its peculiar hoop, 

 hoop, hoop», was often heard. The wild fowl {Gallus ferrugineus Blyth.) also occur- 

 red but never in such great numbers as in the evergreen forests, though it was by 

 no means rare, The large Green-billed malkoha {Rhopodyfes tristis hainanus Hart.) was 

 found both in the open forests and in the bamboo-thickets, where the rusty red and 

 black, long-tailed Coucal [Centropus sinensis Steph.) stole away, making its presence 

 known by its sonorous call — »poot, poot, poot», — slowly repeated several times. 



