3. MEROPS. 77 



Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 86 (184G) ; id. List Fissir. Brit. Mus. p. 70 

 (1848); Bp. Cmisp. i. p. 161 (1850); Strickl. P. Z. S. 1850, 

 p. 216; Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 39 (1857) ; Schl. Mus. Pays-Bas, 

 Merops, p. 5 (1863) ; Aniin. Cat. descr. Ucc. p. 30 (1864) ; Gray, 

 Hand-l. B. i. p. 99, no. 1209 (1869) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 192 ; 

 Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. p. 201 (1869), iv. p. Ixv (1871) ; Blanf. 

 Geol. Sf Zool. Abi/ss. p. 321 (1870) ; Finsch, Trans. Z. S. vii. p. 224 

 (1870) ; id. Sj- Hartl. Fog. Ostafr. p. 185 (1870) ; Shelley 8f Buckley, 

 Ibis, 1872, p. 286 ; Antin. ^ Saluad. Tiayq. Boyos, p. 66 (1873) ; 

 Ussher, Ibis, 1874, p. 48; Reichen. J. f.'O. 1875, p. 18; Bocaye, 

 Orn. Anr/ola, p. 88 (1871) ; Nichols. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 355; Pelz. 

 Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, xxxi. p. 143 (1881) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1881, 

 p. ]24; Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. Bremen, vii. p. Ill (1882); 

 Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 556 ; Dresser, Monoyr. Merop. p. 47, pi. 13 

 (1884); Fischer, Zeitschr. yes. Orn. i. p. 360 (1884); BiMik. 

 Notes Lei/den Mus. vii. p. 166 (1885), viii. p. 249 (18S6), x. p. 71 

 (1888); Hartert, J. f. O. 1886, p. 593; Reichen. J. f. O. 1887, 

 p. 306 ; Shellet/, Ibis, 1890, p. 167 ; Sharpe, App. to Jameson's 

 ' Rear-Colunm; p. 411 (1890). 



Merops savignii (jiec Audouin), Swains. Zool. Illustr. ii. pi. Ixxvi. 

 (1821). 



Merops cuvieri, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 15 (1823). 



Aerops albicollis, Reichenb. Handb., Merop. p. 82, Taf. 449. figs. 3246- 

 47 (1852) ; Cab. 8f Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. ii. p. 137 ^1863). 



Adult male. General colour above pale apple-green, tinged with 

 blue on the lower back and scapulars ; the hind neck and sides of 

 neck rather more golden ; quills pale fawn-colour, edged with yel- 

 lowish green, with blackish tips to the feathers, forming a broad 

 terminal band on the secondaries ; the inner secondaries washed 

 with blue ; upper tail-coverts and tail pale blue, the two elongated 

 centre tail-feathers black towards their ends ; forehead and a broad 

 line over the eye white ; crown of head black ; lores, a streak 

 through the eye, and ear-coverts black ; throat white, with a black 

 band across the lower throat, followed by an irregular line of pale 

 blue ; breast and abdomen whitish, washed with pale greeu ; under 

 tail-coverts very pale blue; under wing-coverts pale creamy buff: 

 "bill black; feet reddish dusky; iris scarlet" (Heuglin). Total 

 length 11 inches, culmen 1'35, wing 4-0, tail 3"i, centre feathers 

 G-4, tarsus 0-4. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length 10'4 inches, 

 culmen 1-3, wing 4. 



Hah. "West Africa from Senegambia to Gaboon. N.E. Africa 

 south to the Zambesi district. 



a. c? ad. sk. Senegal {UEinville). Riocour Coll. 



h. Ad. sk. River Gambia. Sharpe Coll. 



c, d. Ad. sk. Fantee {H. T. Ussher). Sharpe Coll. 



e-i. Ad.etjuv.sk. Accra {T. E. Buckley). Shelley Coll. 



k. Ad. sk. Ahouri, Aguapim ( T. E. Shelley Coll. 



Buckley). 



I. Ad. sk. River Volta (ff. T. Ussher). Shelley Coll. 



m. Ad. sk. Abeokuta. F. Nicholson, Esq. 



[P.]. 



n. Ad.sk. Old Calabar (Afnt. .H|y«fo;)). Jardine Coll. 



