February 27, 1923 Vol. VIII, p. 43 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



NEW ENGLAND ZOOLOGICAL CLUB 



A NEW MEROPS FROM JAVA 



BY OUTKAM BANGS AND THOMAS EDWARD PENARD 



Two skins of Merops sumatranus from Java, are quite dis- 

 tinct from all others in the series in the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, which includes birds from Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay- 

 Peninsula, and Fukien, China; they differ in being much bluer, 

 less green, — wholly bluish below, with no line of demarkation 

 between the throat and the lower under parts. We therefore 

 separate the Javan form as 



Merops sumatranus coeligenus subsp. nov. 



Type, from Pelaboean Ratoe, Java, adult cf, no. 60,323, M. C. Z., 

 October 10, 1909, O. Bryant and W. Palmer. 



Characters. — Similar to M. sumatranus sumatranus Raffles, but much 

 bluer, less green; chestnut of head and upper back paler; wings much 

 bluer, less greenish; whole under parts bluish with only a little greenish 

 intermixed on belly and sides. In M. s. sumatranus the throat is blue and 

 the rest of the under parts green with a sharp line of demarcation. 



Measurements. — Type, adult cf: wing, 113; tail, 77; tarsus, 11.5; 

 culmen, 42 mm. Topotype, adult 9 , no. 60,324, M.C. Z.: wing, 110; tail, 

 78; tarsus, 12; culmen, 38 mm. The tails of both are measured to the 

 ends of the normal rectrices, not to ends of lengthened middle pair. 



We are inclined, contrary to the opinion of some systematists, 

 to consider Merops americanus Muller and M. sumatranus 

 Raffles distinct species. 



