KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 50. N;0 8. 53 



cf 7i 1912 Sakerat. ? ^Vä 1912 Den Chai. 



Wing - 96 mm. Wing= 77 mm. 



Tail =116 » Tail =107 » 



104. Melittophagus swinhoii Hume. — The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater was 

 not very common, but I observed it now and again över the whole of Siam, except 

 in the evergreen hill forests. Along the river Meh Yome it was, however, rather 

 abimdant at the end of February, and probably it was going to breed in the steep 

 river-banks south of Muang Pré. Unbke Meroys orientalis hirmanus Neum., which 

 never used to settle high up in the trees, this species was always observed on the 

 highest branches when resting. I never noticed it round the rice-fields but where 

 the dry forests pass över into inore open and cultivated country these bee-eaters 

 were often found in small flocks. 



On the 17th of February 1912 I shot a fine male measuring as foUows. 



Length = 215 mm. Wing = 108 mm. Tail = 83 mm. 



105. Nyctiornis atherthoni Jard & Selby. — This fine Bee-eater is a real 

 forest-bird and is a resident of the Lower Himalayas and also of the districts from 

 Assam to Tenasserim, through the Burmese countries. In southern Tenasserim it is 

 replaced by another species Nyctiornis ayyiicta Temm. During my journey the Blue- 

 bearded Bee-eater was only observed in the great primeval forest region round Bång 

 Hue Horn. Every time I caught sight of it, it was perching on the top of the 

 highest trees from which it made aerial evolutions after passing insects but always 

 returning to the same branch. 



$ 2^2 1912 Bång Hue Hom. 

 Length = 323 mm. 

 Wing = 140 » 

 Tail =139 >> 



Fa 111. Alcediiiidjp. 



106, Ceryle rudis leucomelanura Reichenb. — This Kingfisher does not seem 

 to extend very far to the North in Siam, but along the Menam Chao Phaya river 

 and its tributaries it was common up to about N. 17° i. e. a little north of the 

 town of Pitsanulok. I never observed it in the Fastern districts, but that depends 

 perhaps upon the lack of great rivers in the parts of the Korat plateau I explored. 



On the great swamps round Tha Law it was quite common which was also 

 the case on the rice-fields north of Bangkok. 



This subspecies differs from the typical Ceryle rudis L. in having the basas 

 of the rectrices pure white without any blackish spöts and in having round instead 

 of longitudinal spöts on the sides of the body. 



