MEROPID.E. 95 
Merops swinhoii, Zume. 
119.—Merops quinticolor, Vieillot.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, 
Vol. I, p. 208; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382. 
THE CHESNUT-HEADED BEE-EATER. 
Length, 8°5; wing, 43; tail, 3°25; bill at front, 1:3. 
Bill black ; irides fine crimson-red; legs and feet plumbeous. 
Whole top of the head, nape, hind-neck, and upper part of 
back rich chesnut; wing-coverts, interscapulars, and tertiaries 
bight green, the latter tinged with blue; rump and upper 
tail-coverts pale azure-blue ; quills dull green, tending to rufous 
on the inner web, and black tipped; tail, with the centre 
feathers, blue on the outer web, all the rest dull green, 
tipped dusky; tail even, or slightly emarginate, with the centre 
feathers not elongated ; beneath, the chin, throat, and sides of 
the neck up to the ear-coverts, pale yellow, below which is a band 
or collar of ferruginous, edged with black; the breast bright 
green ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts the same, tinged 
with blue; wings within ru fous-brown. 
The Chesnut-headed Bee-eater occurs sparingly on the Western 
Ghats and in the jungles adjoining. 
Merops persicus, Pail. 
120.—Merops ceegyptius, Vieill—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. I, 
p- 209; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. III, p. 456; 
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382; Murray’s Vertebrate 
Zoology of Sind, p. 108; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; 
Ibis, 1885, p. 61. 
THE EGYPTIAN BEE-EATER. | 
Length, 12 to 12°5; expanse, 18°5; wing, 6:21; tail to the 
end of the central tail-feathers, 5°5; tarsus, 0°44; bill at gape, 
2°34; bill at front, 1°6. 
Bill black ; irides crimson ; feet dark-plumbeous. 
Above, including wings and tail, green mixed with verdigris- 
blue on the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts; forehead with a 
narrow line of yellowish-white, succeeded by a pale blue band, 
which continues over the eyes; a dark line through the eyes to 
the ear-coverts, which are mixed greenish blue and dusky ; below 
this from the gape is another narrow white line, edged with 
pale blue; chin yellow; throat deep chesnut; rest of the lower 
parts blue-green; tail even, with the two centre tail-feathers 
elongated. 
The Egyptian Bee-eater is a common seasonal visitant to all 
parts of Sind, but occurs less commonly in Guzerat, Rajpootana 
and Central India, and is extremely rare in the Deccan. 
Merops apiaster, Zin. 
121.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 210; Murray’s Vertebrate 
Zoology of Sind, p. 108, 
