Part 121

"Eight males from Basilan measure, 134 in length; wing, 58; tail, 21; culmen, 36; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 16.

"Eighteen females from the same place measure, 135 in length; wing, 58; tail, 22; culmen, 39; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 14.

"Four males from Mindanao measure, length, 135; wing, 58; tail, 22; culmen, 39; tarsus, 8; middle toe with claw, 15.

"Two females from same island measure, 143 in length; wing, 59; tail, 23; culmen, 39; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 16.

"Iris very dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails scarlet to orange-red. Usually keeps near ground. Occasionally alights 5 to 10 meters above ground. Food, insects and their larvæ." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

277. CEYX SAMARENSIS Steere.

SAMAR KINGFISHER.

Ceyx samarensis Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere Exped. (1890), 10; Grant, Ibis (1897), 243; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 53; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 53. Ceyx melanura Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 180 (part).

Leyte (Steere Exp.); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead).

"Upper surface deep rufous; interscapulars forming two broad black bands; wings black, coverts black and spotted with cobalt; sides of the head rich lilac; breast and upper abdomen lilac, fainter behind. Length, 147; tail, 30; bill, 30; wing, 66; middle toe with claw, 15. Differs from true C. melanura of Luzon in its larger size, in coloring of cheeks and breast, and in amount of coloring on the lower surface." (Steere.)

"We obtained a fine series of specimens in Samar which agree in every detail with the description of C. melanura. The specimens secured by us were found among the hills in deep forest and invariably away from water." (Bourns and Worcester.)

278. CEYX EUERYTHRA Sharpe.

RED-BACKED KINGFISHER.

Ceyx euerythra Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 179; Hand-List (1900), 2, 53; Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 45; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 53.

Balabac (Everett); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Schmacker, McGregor); Palawan (Lempriere, Platen, Steere Exp., Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester, Everett). Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo.

Adult.--Above red, washed with lilac, heaviest on head and rump; below deep yellow, strongest across the breast; chin and upper throat white, washed with yellow; wing-coverts like the back; primaries and secondaries black; first primary and the secondaries edged with rufous; wing-lining yellow. "Iris dark brown; bill and feet red." (Celestino.) Male, length, 140; wing, 58; tail, 23; culmen from base, 40. Female, length, 140; wing, 58; tail, 24; culmen from base, 40.

"We have fourteen specimens from Tawi Tawi, Palawan, and the Calamianes Islands and they show some interesting plumage changes which were for some time a puzzle to us.

"An adult pair in high plumage from the Calamianes have entire upper surface of body red, washed with lilac, most heavily on head and rump. Wing-coverts and scapulars like back. Secondaries rufous with broad black shaft-stripes. Primaries black, the first rufous for entire length of outer web and most of the others showing a small amount of rufous at their tips. Under surface of primaries washed with rufous on inner webs. Chin and throat white faintly tinged with lemon-yellow. Remainder of under surface deep golden-yellow, darkest on sides of breast and flanks. A yellowish white patch behind ear. Under tail-coverts golden yellow, tipped with rufous. Tail uniform bright rufous above and below. Under wing-coverts and axillars golden yellow. Bend of wing rufous.

"This plumage we take to be typical for fully adult birds in fine feather. Two females from Palawan agree with this description except that in one the secondaries show rufous only on under surface of inner webs, and that the primaries show no rufous except on basal half of outer web of first. The under wing-coverts, axillars, and bend of wing are light rufous instead of yellow.

"Sharpe, Ibis (1894), 246, reports an adult male of this species from Bongao and a female from Tawi Tawi. We note certain differences shown by our Tawi Tawi specimens, of which we have twelve. Of these four agree with the Calamianes birds except that the scapulars show more or less black at their bases and that the secondaries show more of black. Among the remaining specimens, however, there are some curious variations.

"First it is to be noted that in three fully adult birds beginning to molt the under surface is pale dirty yellowish, the throat white.

"In two of the birds a few scattered yellow feathers are appearing in the white of the throat. This then is the worn-out plumage of old birds.

"A male with rich yellow under surface and white throat has some of the scapulars entirely black, tipped with blue, the remainder being tipped with lilac. Some of the wing-coverts are black, tipped with blue. No rufous on primaries except on outer web of first.

"Another bird has chin and throat pure white, the breast mottled with golden yellow and light cinnamon-rufous. Feathers of abdomen nearly white, tips washed with rufous. Under wing-coverts and axillars cinnamon-rufous. A little more black in the scapulars than the preceding. Tail with broad black shaft-stripes on apical half of under surface of feathers.

"Another specimen has chin and throat pure white. Sides of face, breast, flanks, under wing-coverts, and axillars cinnamon-rufous, deepest on the breast. Abdomen nearly white. A few golden-yellow feathers appearing on breast, flanks, and abdomen. Scapulars, except a few of the smallest, black quite broadly tipped with blue; tail with tips of all its feathers black.

"Finally, a single specimen has under surface as in preceding except that yellow feathers have not begun to appear. Scapulars and inner third of inner secondaries black, the former tipped with blue, the latter with rufous washed with lilac. Tail with apical two-thirds of feathers black washed with rufous on edges of webs. The bill of this last bird shows signs of immaturity, being blackish toward the tip instead of clear scarlet.

"We were at first greatly puzzled by these birds, as the black scapulars with their blue tips form a striking marking and with a single exception the bills of our specimens showed no sign of immaturity. After carefully examining the whole series, however, we are convinced that the cinnamon-rufous under surface, tail-feathers tipped with black, and black scapulars tipped with blue are themselves signs of immaturity, the black gradually disappearing with age, and yellow feathers appearing on the outer surface until the plumage first described by us is reached. This finally becomes worn and soiled giving the dirty yellowish under plumage already noted. Our Tawi Tawi birds were shot late in October and early in November, Palawan birds in December, and Calamianes birds in January and February." (Bourns and Worcester.)

"Usually found along the banks of fresh-water streams in the forest, not, however, strictly confined to banks of streams, but sometimes met with in the woods away from water.