378 Biilhfin of the Brithh 



HeLTANTIIKA HAMILTON!, sp. n. 

 H. siniilis H. luteiice, sed macxda frontali aureo-viridi, et 

 gastrrei nitore metallico bronzino-viridi, plaga alari 

 pallida cinnamonieaj ncc albicantCj distinguenda. Long, 

 tot. 5"0 poll., culm. l'(), ahc 2'9, cauda; \'7, tarsi 0*2. 

 Hah. Papallacta, near Antisana, E. Ecuador. 

 Of tliis species Mr. Goodfellow had procured, in February 

 1899, a scries of both male and female specimens, all of 

 wliicli were perfectly constant as regards the characters 

 mentioned above. All the birds from the western slope 

 of the Andes of Quito proved to be the true H. lvteti(e, 

 of which the travellers had also procured a good series. 



Dr. BowDLER Sharpe exhibited another British-killed 

 specimen of the Levantine Shearwater [Pvffinvs ye/kouaims), 

 which had been sent by Mr. Charles Smoothy, of Little 

 Baddow, near Chelmsford. The specimen had been obtained 

 at Bridlington Quay, Yorkshire, in October 1898. [ Cf. Bull, 

 vol. viii. p. xxix.] 



Dr. Sharpe exhibited and described a new species of Bee- 

 eater, obtained by Mr. G. L. Bates on the Rio Benito in 

 French Congo : — 



Merops batesiana, sp. n. 



^ . Similis M. nmelleri, Cass., sed saturatior, facie lateral!, 



colli lateribus ct prsepectore toto nigris : notaji colore 



castaneo ubique saturatiore distinguenda. Long. tot. 



8-0 poll., culm. 1-4, aUe 3*2, eaudge 2-95, tarsi 0-35. 



The specimen from the Benito River ditlered so much 



from the figure of the type of M. mnellei'i given by Cassin 



in the ' Transactions ' of the Philadelphia Academy, that 



Dr. Sharpe had written to Mr. Witmer Stone on the subject. 



The latter gentleman having assured him that the figure 



was an accurate rendering of M. mi/elleri, it became evident 



that not only was the Benito bird distinct, but also the 



so-called M. muelleri from the Gold Coast. This Dr. Sharpe 



proposed to name in honour of Colonel Northcott, who had 



done excellent work in the Hinterland of the Gold Coast, 



and was killed at the Modder River in November last. 



