42 jirEoriDj;. 



Kiij to the Species. 



a. Forehead and eyebrow blue, contrasting -with 



the rest of the head, which is green furcatus, p. 42. 



h. With the forehead green like the head, without 



any blue on the forehead or eyebrow hirunriitieus, p. 43. 



1. Dicrocercus furcatus. (Pkte T. fig. 2.) 



Merops fui'catus, Sfanl. in Salt's Voy. Abyss. App. iv. p. Ivii 



(.1814). 

 Merops azuror, Less. Traite, p. 239 (1831). 

 ilerops hirundinaceus (nee F.), Swains. B. W. Afr. p. 91, pi 10 



(1837) ; Heichenb. Sandh. Meiop. p. 8i', Taf. 446. tigs. 323-5-36 



(1852): Hard. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 40 (1857): id. J. f. O. 1^61, 



p. 107 ; Sehl. Mus. P.-B., Merops, p. 11 (1863) ; Seugl. J. f. O. 



1864, p. 236 : id. Orn. X.O.-Afr. ii. p. 210 (1870). 

 Menps chrysolaimus, Jard. ^- Selby, III. Orn. ii. pi. 99 (c. 1829). 

 Melittophagus furcatus, Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 66 (1854). 

 Dicrncercus hirundinaceus. Cab. <^- Heine, Mii-s. Hein. n. p. 136 



(1860, pt.). 

 Melittophagus hirundinaceus (nee V^, Antin. Cat. descr. Ucc. p. 31 



(1864) ; Hartm. J.f. 0. 1866, p. 204. 



Adult male. General colour above golden green ; wings like the 

 back ; primaries pale chestnut, edged with greenish at the ends of 

 the outer webs, and with blackish tips to the feathers, forming a 

 broad band ; the inner secondaries green like the back and slightly 

 tinged with bluish ; upper tail-coverts pale cobalt-blue, the two 

 centre tail-feathers greenish blue, the rest golden olive, blackish 

 along the inner margin towards the tips, which are whitish ; the 

 outer ones, which are the longest, tipped with black, which also 

 forms a subterminal bar on all the feathers ; head like the back, 

 with a baud of cobalt-blue feathers across the forehead and lores, 

 reaching to just above the eye : a streak through the eye and ear- 

 coverts black ; cheeks and throat orange-yellow, followed by a band 

 of ultramarine-blue, which is paler towards the sides of the neck 

 and the hinder cheeks, the latter being ashy white ; breast green 

 like the back ; abdomen and under tail-coverts blue, with a tuft of 

 whitish feathers on each side of the vent ; under wing-coverts, 

 axUlaries, and quills light chestnut, the latter being dusky towards 

 their tips : '• bill black ; feet grey ; iris red " {Heuglin). Total 

 length 8-5 inches, culmen 1-4, wing 3-8, tail 4-05, tarsus 0-4. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour, but greener both on 

 the upper and under parts, and paler yellow on the throat ; the blue 

 band on the throat also much paler. Total length S inches, culmen 

 1-35, wing 3-65, tail 3-7, tarsus 0-35. 



Young. Similar to the adults, but with no yellow on the throat, 

 and having the chest pale green, changing to bluish green on the 

 abdomcH. 



Hub. West Africa from Scucgambia to the Xigcr, and probably 



