INSESSORES. 117 



Sp. 58. MEROPS ORNATUS, Latham. 



Australian Bee-eater. 



Merops ornatus, Lath. Ind. Ora., Supp. p. xxxv. 

 Mountain Bee- eater, Lewin, Birds of New HoU.^ pi. 18. 

 Variegated Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 155, pi. 128. 

 Merops melanurus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 208. 

 Philemon ornatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xvii. p. 423. 

 Merops Thouini, sp. tenuipennis, Dumont, Id., et Levrault, p. 52. 

 Melittophagus ornatus, Reich. Handb. torn. i. p. 82. 

 Cosma'erops ornatus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii, p. 138. 

 Dee-weed-gang, Aborigines of New South Wales. 

 Bee-roo-bee-roo-long, Aborigines of the lowland, and 

 Ber-rin-ber-rin, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western 



Australia. 

 Bee- eater of the Colonists. 



Merops ornatus, Grould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pL 16. 



This bird has so many attractions that it will doubtless be 

 always regarded as a general favourite with the Australians ; 

 the extreme beauty of its plumage, the elegance of its form, 

 and the graceful manner of its flight all combining to render 

 it especially worthy of their notice; besides which, many 

 pleasing associations are connected with it, for, like the 

 Swallow and the Cuckoo of Europe, it arrives in New South 

 Wales and in all the colonies lying within the same de- 

 gree of latitude in August, and departs in March, the inter- 

 vening period being employed in the duties of incubation and 

 of rearing its progeny. During the summer months it is 

 universally spread over the whole southern portion of the 

 continent from east to west ; and in winter the northern. 



In South Australia and at Swan River it is equally nu- 

 merous as in New South Wales, generally giving preference 

 to the inland districts rather than to those near the coast ; 

 hence it is rarely to be met with in the neighbourhood of 

 Perth, while in the York district it is very common. In 

 New South Wales I found it especially abundant on the 



