72 MEKOFID^, 



Civic. Genov. (2) iv. p. 583 (1887) ; Hume, Sti: F. xi. p. 42 (1888) ; 



Steere, List B. S^ Mamm. Philipp. p. 9 (1890) ; Oate>i, ed. Hume's 



Nests ^- Eyys Ind. B. iii. p. 03 (1890). 

 Le Guepier vert a queue d'azur, Mont. Hist. Nat. Ois. vi. p. 504 



(1779). 

 Philippine Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. St/n. i. pt. 2, p. 974 (1(82). 

 Le Guepier a queue d'azur ou Le Guepier Daudin, Levaill. Hist. Nat. 



Guepiers, p. 49, pi. 14 (1807). 

 Merops javanicus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 171(1820); EytoJif 



P. Z. S. 1839, p. lUl ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 86 (184G) : Bp. Consp. 



i. p. 102(1850); Reichenb. ^Handh., Merop. p. 66, Taf. 444. figs. 



3227-28 (1852) ; Motley, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 213. 

 Merops philippeut^is, Steph. in S/iaw's Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. 2, p. 75 



(1826) ; Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 207 (1862) ; Sidnh. Ibis, 1865, p. 230; 



Beavan,t. c. p. 407; Hancock, Cat. B. Northumb. p. 28 (1874); 



Anderson, Rep. Zool. Exped. Yun-nan, p. 511 (1878). 

 Merops daudiui, Cuiier, Rk/ne Anim. i. p. 422 (1829); Grai/, Hand-l. 



B. i. p. 99, no. 1208 (1879); Swtnh. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 349 ; Hu7}2e, 



Str. E. ii. pp. 162, 469 (1874), iii. p. 49 (1875). 

 Merops tj-picus, Hodys. Icon. ined. in Brit. Mus. Pasi^eres, pi. 23. 



fig-s. 1, 2 (no. 746) ; id. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82 (1844). 

 Blepharomerops javanicus, Reic/ie?ib. Handb., Merop. p. 82 (1852). 

 Blepliaromerops philippinus, Reichenh. t. c. p. 82 (1852). 

 Blepharomerops savignii {nee Audouin), Reichenb. t. c. p. 82 (1852). 

 Merops philippinus, var. celebensis, Bhsim, Zeitschr. ges. Orn. ii. 



p. 939 (1885). 



Adult male. Similar to M. a^gyptivs, but ■without anj' white on 

 the forcliead or eyebrow, the latter replaced by a narrow line of 

 blue, and the checks having a broad streak of cobalt-blue ; lower 

 back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail blue, instead of golden olive 

 or green : "bill black ; feet blacki.sh, the hiuder part of the tarsus 

 paler ; iris scarlet " ( W. V. Legge). Total length 11-3 inches, culmen 

 1'8, wing 5*3, tail 3'5, centre feathers 5, tarsus 0'4o. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length ll-o inches, 

 culmen 1-7, wing o'lo, tail 3'1, tarsus 0'4. 



Young. Much duller in colour generally, with the blue tail and 

 rump of the adult, but without the blue eyebrow, this being replaced 

 by a little lighter green shade than on the crown ; cheeks pale green ; 

 throat pale brownish. 



Hab. Indian Peninsula and Ceylon, extending through the Bur- 

 mese countries to Siam and Cochin China, and even visiting Southern 

 China in summer. It extends south through the Malayan Peninsula 

 and Java, Sumatra, the Philippines, and Borneo, and even to Celebes 

 and Timor. ? Xew Britain*. 



(', b- 6 2 <id. sk. Colombo, Cej'lon, June {HaH). Hume CoU. 



c, d. S ad. sk. Galle, Ceylon, Oct., Nov. Colonel Legge [P.]. 



e-M. 6 ? ad. sk. Ceylon, Dec, Jan., March {S. Tweeddale CoU. 

 Chapman 8f H. Nevill). 



* Dr. Meyer has recently described a young Bee-eater from New Britain as 

 M. falvudoni (Ibis, 1891, p. 293). By his kindness I was allowed to examine 

 the tyjie of this new sjjecies in the Dresden Museum, and I could not see why it 

 should be separated from M. phUijipinus. The adult bird, when discovered, 

 way confirm Dr. Meyers opinion. 



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