CORYDON SUMATRANUS.
G re a t Eurylaime.
Coracias Sumatranus, Raffl. Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 303.
Eurylaimus Corydon, Temm. PI. Col. 297—Less. Traité d’Om., p. 261.—Atlas, pi. 50. fig. 1.
Eurylaimus ? Hay, Journ. As. Soc., vol. x. p. 575.
Corydon Sumatranus, Strickl. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. vi. p. 417.—Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. of As. Soc.
Calcutta, p. 195.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 168.
Corydon Temminckii, Less. Man. d’Om., tom. i. p. 177.
Eurylaimus Sumatranus, Vig. App. to Mem. of Sir S. Raffles, p. 653.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 65,
Eurylaimus, sp. 6.—G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part ii. sec. 1. p. 37.
Eurylaimus Corydon Sumatranus, Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. in East Ind. Comp., p. 117.
Kung-quait, Malays.
T h e tropical portions of India and the adjacent islands are without question the head quarters of the Eunj-
laiminm, for like E. Jamnicm and E . ochromalus, the present extraordinary bird is there found, the provinces
it inhabits being Tenasserim, the Malayan peuinsula generally, Sumatra, and I believe Borneo. It is the
largest species of the family yet discovered, and also differs from all its congeners in the absence of adornment
in its plumage, the sooty black hue of which is merely relieved by a large blood-coloured patch on
the back and the dingy brownish white patch on the throat.
The female is said so nearly to resemble the male in colour as not to be distinguished.
The extraordinarily broad and strong bill, its greatly dilated margins and other peculiarities naturally
suggested the propriety of separating this bird from the other members of the family, and of making it the
type of a new genus,'Corydon, in which at present it stands alone, no other species of the form having
been discovered. The singularly formed mandibles and enormous gape would seem to indicate some great
peculiarity in its mode of life, with which it would be interesting to be made acquainted.
Insects and fruits doubtless constitute the food of this curious bird, but of what kinds is uncertain, for we
have everything yet to learn respecting its habits and economy.
General plumage brownish black ; on the throat a large patch of brownish white, each feather with a
crescent mark of reddish brown at the tip; on the centre of the back a small patch of r e d feathers with
black tips, and a whitish line down their centres ; lateral tail-feathers crossed near the tip with an oblique
irregular mark of white; orbits and bill fleshy red.
The .figure is of the natural size.