KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 50. N:0 8- 19 



In Bangkok and some of the otlier tovvns it is a custom to place some of the 

 dead people on certain conrts in the temples (called wats in Siamese) to let the corp- 

 ses be eaten by the pariahdogs and vultures. At such places there were also plenty 

 of crows taking part in these horrible feasts, though they usually must keep at 

 some distance until their stronger comrades had finished their eating. 



3. Urocissa occipitalis Blyth. — This very pretty magpie was sparingly distri- 

 buted in Northern Siarn and oecurred both in brushjungles as near Bång Hue Horn 

 and in the dry forests as at Den Chai and Pak Pan. South of there it was never 

 met with. The birds seemed to visit the ground as well as the trees and were 

 rather shy and cautious. 



4. Dendrocitta rufa Hartl. — The Indian Tree-pie was commonly distributed 

 in such parts of the country as are covered by dry forests and secondary jungles, 

 and here I often heard their syllabic notes or saw them up in the trees. They were 

 as a rule rather tame and showed no fear at all when I was passing even at a 

 close distance. 



Specimens in the Siamese collection are showing the following measurements: 



Wing in d'c^ = 153—149 mm. 



» $$ = 145—150 * 

 Tail -> c^cr = 256—238 » 



» $= 234 

 Iris = dark reddish brown. 



5. Crypsirhina varians Lath. — The Black Racket-tailed Magpie only oecur- 

 red in thick secondar}^ jungles near Bång Hue Hom and in the neighbourhood of 

 Muang Pré both places in Northern Siam. Especially round Muang Pré it was 

 rather common and I often caught sight of the beautiful birds as they stole away 

 among the thick bamboos. I never observed them on the ground so they seem to be 

 quite arboreal though never high up in the trees. Once I shot a female and the 

 male did not fly away from the spöt where its female had fallen until I was close 

 up on it and then it only went up in a tree just beside. There it sat for a con- 

 siderable time continually calling. I then hid myself and at once the male come 

 down to the dead female and it did not show any fear though I was very close by. 

 At last it went away but only a short distance. I then began to imitate its cry 

 and at once the male appeared again and had to suffer the same fäte as the female. 

 Its genital organs were greatly swelled and perhaps its behavior was due to its being 

 in the breeding season. 



The females seem to vary very mucli as seen by the following measures: 



Length in two females = 300 & 315 mm. resp. 

 Wing y> » » = 112 & 118 » 



Tail . » » = 190 & 188 * 



The Iris is påle blue. 



