41 



Family MEROPID.^. 



Palate desmogiiathous. Basipterygoid processes absent. 



Oil-gland nude. Citca present. 



Sternum with four notches in posterior extremity ; episternal 

 process perforated to receive the feet of the coracoids. 



Spinal tract well defined on the neck, but divided into two tracts 

 on the upper back. 



Left carotid present. Ambiens muscle absent. 



Bill long and gently curved, the lower mandible and the genys 

 having the same detlection as the maxilla towards the tip ; culmen 

 with a sharply defined ridge, which is grooved in Xi/ctiornis. 



Feet syudactyle ; the fourth toe united to the third as far as the 

 last joint ; the second toe united to the middle for the basal joint 

 only. 



Tail-feathers ten. i 



Young hatched helpless. 



Range. Temperate and Tropical portions of the Old "VYorld. 



In the determination of the genera of this family I have mainly 

 adopted the conclusions of Mr. H. E. Dresser's ' Monograph ' of the 

 family. T think that he has recognized as many genera as can 

 easily be diagnosed ; but the position of the nasal apertures will 

 probably be found to afford characters for further subdivisions of 

 the genera. Unfortunately, the condition of dried specimens does 

 not allow us to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion with regard to 

 this character. 



Kei/ to the Genera. 



a. With the breast-plumes ordinary. 



a'. With the centre tail-feathers not 

 elongated; the tail very distinctly 

 forked 1. DiCrocercus, p. 41. 



b'. With the centre tail-feathers not 



elongated ; the tail square 2. Melittophagus, p. 44. 



c'. With the centre tail-feathers elon- 

 gated 3. Merops, p. 58. 



b. With the breast-plumes broad, elongated 



and pendent ; nostrils hidden by dense 



bristles. 

 d'. W^ith the centre tail-feathers elon- 

 gated 4. Meropogox, p. 87. 



e. With the tad square 5. Nyctiornis, p. 88. 



1. DICROCERCUS. 



Type. 

 Dicrocercus, Cab. ^- Heine, 3Ius. Hem. Th. ii. p. 136 



(1863) .••■■: O- hirundineus. 



Tachymerops, Fiiz. Sitz. k. Akad. IVisgcnsch. irien, 



xxi. Abth. ii. p. 304 (18o6j D. hinuidiueub. 



Haiujc. Confined to Africa. 



