314 
Birds of Celebes: Coraciidae. 
Dresser, Mon. Corac. 1893, 67, pis. XYII, XVIII; (18) M- & W g., Abh. Mus. 
Dresden 1895, Xr. 8, p. 8; (19) iid., ib. 1895, Xr. 9, p. 4; (20) iid., ib. 1896, Xr. 2, 
p. 13; (21) Hart., Xov. ZooL 1896, 176; (22) id., ib. 1897, 159. 
h. Eurystomus australis (1) Sharpe, Cat. B. XVH, 1892, 36. 
“Hendingo-Opo”, Gorontalo?, Bosenb. 5. 
“Tjetje”, Malay name, X. Celebes, Meyer 6. 
“Kokotaka”, Talissi Id., Hickson') 13. 
“Poopoopung”, Siao, Xat. Coll. Mus. Dr. 
“Atera”, Talaut, iid. 
For full synonymy and references see Salvad., Orn. Pap. 1880, I, 503 (E. pad ficus) and 508 
(E. orientalis), Agg. 1889, 60; Sharpe, Cat. B. XVH, 1892, 33, 36 (E. laetior, E. 
australis)., 38 (E. calonyx)\ Dresser XVlf a III (E. orientalis). 
Figures and descriptions. Dresser XVIf a III] Grould, B. Austr. H, pL 17 (E. padficus)\ 
Sharpe 1. c. pi. H, fig. 1 (E. orientalis), fig. 2 (E. calonijx)] Legge a 2\ Salvad., 
11. cc. ; Meyer, Mittli. Z. Mus. Dresden 1875, I, 19; W. Bias. 11] etc. 
Skeleton. Eyton, Blanchard and Furbringer have figured the skeleton or parts of it. 
Adult. General colour above brownish French-green, becoming dark olivaceous seal-brown 
no top and sides of head, chin, and sides of neck, washed with bluish on the scapulars, 
innermost quills and upper tail-coverts; around orbital region and forehead blackish; 
wing-coverts strongly washed with cerulean-blue; quills black washed on their 
outer webs with cyanine-blue (except the innermost ones which are concolourous with 
the scapulars), the primaries crossed about their middle length by a broad band of 
pale blue, not seen on the outer web of the first primary; tail black, washed with 
cyanine-blue, most strongly towards its basal part; on throat an ill-defined patch of 
French-blue washed with mauve; under-parts, from breast downwards, light sea- 
green, the blue tint in it being strongest on the abdomen; quills below (except for 
the band of pearl-blue) black, the inner webs hyacinth-blue for the most part (Great 
Sangi, C 838). “Iris light brown; bill sealing-wax red, tip black; feet brown-red’* 
(Platen 12). 
Sexes. Similar. 
Young. Differs from the adult in being duller in colour and in having a black bill, and in 
wanting the bright blue patch on the throat, which is greenish, a little duller than 
the abdomen (Sharpe). 
Measurements (8 adult specimens: Celebes and Great Sangi — 5 dated April, July). Wing 
180 — 194; tail 96 — 105; tarsus 17; bill from nostril 16.5 — 18 mm. 
Eggs. India. Very broad oval, pure white and faintly glossy; 34 — 36x 29 — 29.5 mm (Oates, 
Hume’s Xests and Eggs Ind. B. IH, 37); Australia (E. australis), two or three in 
number, dull Avhite, rather glossy, sometimes variable in form: 36.8x26.7 oblong, 
34x27.9 roundish (Xorth, Xests and Eggs Austr. B. 35 pi. XIV fig. 1); three, 
sometimes four eggs, beautiful pearly white, considerably pointed at the smaller end 
(Gould.). 
Nest. Breeds in holes in trees : no nest, eggs laid on a few chips of rotten wood — India 
(Bourdillon in Oates, 1. c.); no nest, eggs laid on the dust formed by the decayed 
wood — • Australia (Bam say in Xorth 1. c.). 
Breeding season. In South India nest found March 17*^ and April 20*^, in the Himalayas, 
May (Oates); in Austraha, October (Xorth); from September to December (Gld., 
Handb. B. Austr. I, 120). 
Dr. Hickson remarks: “my boys called tins bird ‘Kokotaka’, but Meyer |says that the native name 
is ‘Tjetje’.” In N. Celebes ‘Tokkakak’ (= ‘Kokotaka?) is the name for Coracias te^nmincki. 
