208 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 MEROPS LESCHENAULTI LESCHENAULTI Vieillot 



Indian Bay-headed Bee-eater 



Merops Leschenaulti Vieiixot, Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, nouv. 

 ed., vol. 14, 1817, pp. 17-18 (Java, ex Levaillant, error; type locality cor- 

 rected to Ceylon, by Whistler and Kinnear, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, 

 vol. 37, 1935, p. 758). 



Melittophagus swinhoii, Gyidenbtolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1913, 

 p. 53 (Mae Yom river near Phrae). 



Melittophagus surinhoei, Gyldenstou'e, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1915, p. 231 

 (listed). 



Melittophagus leschenaulti swinhoei, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. 

 Handl., 1916, p. 110 (Mae Rua, Ban Mae Na).; Ibis, 1920, p. 587 ("Through- 

 out the whole country"). 



Melittophagus erythrocephalus erythrocephalus, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. 

 Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 161 (Doi Suthep). — Chasen and Boden Kloss, Journ. 

 Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl. 1932, p. 234 (Doi Suthep). — de Schauensee, 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 261 (Doi Suthep).— Riley, U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 183 (Mae Sariang). 



Merops leschenaulti leschenaulti, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 

 1936, p. 93 (Doi Suthep). 



The bay-headed bee-eater has been found in all parts of the north- 

 ern provinces. Eisenhofer sent to Stockholm three undated speci- 

 mens from Khun Tan. The example recorded without definite local- 

 ity by Gyldenstolpe in 1916 was taken at Pak Pan. I have it from 

 Thattafang, near Chiang Mai, Ban Pha Khwang, and Muang Fang. 



In 1936 (loc. cit.) I commented on the curious status of the present 

 form in the Chiang Mai district in the following words : "This species 

 has the most limited range of any bird of regular occurrence here. 

 Two or three pairs occur at 5,500 feet from 28 February (1933) to 

 10 May (1930), breeding at this place in April. During their stay 

 they confine themselves to an open space a few hundred feet long and 

 less than one hundred wide, bordered by evergreen jungle, which they 

 do not enter. A single specimen taken at 4,600 feet in the spring 

 of 1931 (Aagaard) constitutes the only exceptional record." To these 

 remarks may now be added that I found the bird rather common 

 between San Sai Luang and Ban Pa Muat, March 7, 1936, and saw 

 a single individual in the same neighborhood, March 19 of the same 

 year. Finally, I met with one or two at 2,000 feet on Doi Suthep, 

 October 10, 1936. 



This bee-eater is not likely to be seen in cultivated and densely 

 inhabited areas; it prefers broken country clothed with open decid- 

 uous forest and, perhaps for this reason, seems to be more common 

 in Nan Province than elsewhere, at least during the spring months. 

 Its favorite perch is on a dead branch at the top of some high tree, 

 but otherwise its behavior is much like that of the preceding forms. 



This small species never has the central rectrices elongated. The 

 adult has the crown, sides of head, nape, and upper back chestnut- 



