68 MEEOPID^. 



a857); Ghirneij, Ibi.% 1861, p. 132; Mont. Ibis, 1862, p. 334 ; 



kirk, Ihis,lS6i, p. 324; Laijnrd, B. S. Afr. p. 69 (1867) ; Gumey, 



Ibis, 1868, p. l-W; Grcui, HancL-l. B. i. p. 99, no. 1206 (1869); 



Holuh Sf Pelz. Beitr. Or'n. SUdafr. p. 65 (1882). 

 Blepharomerops a9gy|jtiiis, Meithenb. Ilandb., Merop. p. 82 (1852). 

 Blepharomerops saviguii, Reichenb. t. c. p. 82 (1852). 

 Merops chrysocercus, Cab. ^- Seine, Mus. Hein.Th.W.. p. 139 (1860). 



Adult male. General colour above green ; wing-coverts the same 

 as the back ; primary-coverts bluish on the outer web, dusky on the 

 inner web with black shaft-streaks ; quills golden olive, dusky 

 blackish at the ends and rufous at base of inner web ; inner secon- 

 daries like the back ; upper tail-coverts like the back; tail-feathers 

 golden olive, the centre ones produced and darkening towards the 

 tips ; crown of head like the back ; lores and a streak through the 

 eye and ear-coverts black ; eyebrow and a frontal band pale blue, 

 preceded at the base of forehead by a white band which forms a 

 narrow line above the eye ; chin yellow, followed by a large patch 

 of chestnut on the throat ; the sides of the latter green, extending 

 on to the cheeks, which are otherwise light blue, separated from the 

 black ear-coverts by a line of white ; sides of neck and rest of 

 under surface of body green like the back, with a few silky-white 

 plumes at side of vent ; under wing-coverts and axillarics, as well 

 as the lining of quills, rufous fawn-colour : " bill black, legs and 

 feet flesby, claws brown, iris red" (C. T. Bingham). Total length 

 11-8 inches, wing 6'1, culmen 1'8, tail 3"4, centre feathers o'3, 

 tarsus 0-45. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour, but with rather more 

 green on the head ; the white base to the forehead and the blue 

 frontal superciliary band not so broad : " soft parts as in the male " 

 (C. T. Binyham). Total lengih 12 inches, culmen 1-75, wing 5-7, 

 tail 3"5, longest feathers 5-5, tarsus 0-4. 



Young. Similar to the adults but more olive-green, the feathers 

 generally paler green on their margins ; the wing-coverts, scapulars, 

 and inner secondaries with greenish-white edges ; the primar)-- 

 coverts golden olive like the rest of the quills ; the centre tail- 

 feathers scarcely protruding beyond the others and only slightly 

 pointed at the ends ; crown of head green like the back, with very 

 little white at the base of the forehead, but no blue eyebrow : imder 

 surface of body pale green ; the chin whitish, succeeded by a patch 

 of light chestnut-brown like the under surface of quills. 



As the breeding-season progresses the plumage becomes extremely 

 abraded and the green fades into blue. 



Hah. The greater part of Africa, occurring in Southern Europe, 

 and extending throughout the Mediterraneo-Persic region to Tur- 

 kestan and to N.W. India, as far south as Khandeish. 



a-g. (S ad. ; h-l. Near Delhi, June to August Hume Coll. 



2 ad. sk. (C. T. Binglumi). 



m-b'. cJ ad. ; c'- Sultanpur, Gurgaon distr.. May ' Hume Coll. 



m'. $ ad.; n' . to Sept. (W. N. Chill). 



d jr. ; o'. 5 jr. 



sk. 



