344 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



I observed breeding in the vicinity of Moulmein were of the 

 variety M. ferrugeiceps, Hodgson. About Calcutta M. viridis 

 abovuids during the cold season, and is generally known to 

 Europeans as the " Green Flycatcher." A very few remain to 

 breed in Lower Bengal. 



118. Mebops philippensis ; Gould, B. As. pt. vii. pi. ; M. 



cyanopygius, Lesson. 



Noticed from China (Ibis, 1865, p. 30) and in Formosa by 

 Mr. Swinhoe [torn. cit. p. 348). 



119. Merops quinticolor ; Gould, B. As. pt. vii. pi. 



The mode of breeding in this bird has been described by Mr. 

 Layard (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 174). It should be 

 remarked that the common mode of figuring Bee-eaters and 

 Rollers (as in Mr. Gould's ' Birds of Asia ') gives altogether a 

 false notion of the birds as seen alive. They sit much more 

 erect, with the body-feathers compressed, those of the head 

 and neck puffed out (the neck being undistinguishable), and the 

 bill not in a line with the back, or nearly so — in fact much like 

 the Halcyonidce and Bucerotidce {cf. Mr. Wallace's notice of 

 Coracias temmincki in Ibis, 1864, p. 41). The living Motmot 

 in the Zoological Gardens offers a suitable study to an artist 

 who would correctly represent a Bee-eater or Roller in a sitting 

 attitude. 



120. Merops ^gyptius, Forsk. ; M. chrysocercus, Cabanis. 

 Capt. T. Hutton describes this species and M. apiaster as 



arriving at Kandahar in the beginning of April, and leaving it 

 in the beginning of autumn (J. A. S. B. xvi. pt. ii. p. 777)*. 



* In all Europe and Asia, the Asiatic islands, and Australia, there are 

 seven species of true Mei-ops. Two of them are western, M. apiaster and M. 

 iegyiitius, which just fall within the extreme north-west limit of the Indian 

 region. M. philipjiensis inhabits the whole Indian region, with Southern 

 China and Formosa, also Flores and Timor, being the eastern representa- 

 tive of the preceding. M. hicohr, Bodd. {M. haditis, Gm. ; M. castanetts, 

 Latham ; M. sumatranus, Eaffles ; M. latreillii, Bonap. ; M. hypoglaucus, 

 Reich,) is peculiar to the INIalayan province of the Indian region, or just 

 spreads into Siam (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 151). M. quinticolor inhabits the 

 Indo-Chinese and Malayan provinces, with Southern India and Ceylon ; 

 it was obtained by the late M. Mouhot in Cambogia. M. ornatus, Lath. 

 (M. melanuriis, V. and H.) belongs to the Australian and Papuan pro- 



