Malayan Ornithology. 377 



nights, at last (one evening when it was particularly noisy) I 

 took out my gun and shot it ; and from that time the nuisance 

 ceased, and I slept in peace. One o£ my Perak specimens^ a 

 male, shot on 10th March, 1877, measured slightly under 12 

 inches ; irides dark brown ; rictal bristles white at their bases ; 

 upper plumage ash-brown, minutely speckled with a darker 

 shade of the same colour; bold longitudinal dashes on the 

 crown, nape, and scapulars, also dark brown blotches on 

 central tail-feathers ; chin, face, and nape rufous-brown ; bar 

 across primaries, the ends of outer tail-feathers and of under 

 tail-coverts, also triangular patch on the throat pure white ; 

 beneath dull rufous-brown, pale on abdomen, and barred with 

 dusky brown. 



Merops quinticolor, Vieill. ; and M. badius, Gm. 



I obtained both these birds on the banks of the Perak river, 

 also at Malacca and Singapore. 



On reference to my note-book I find : — '' Kwala Kangsar, 

 Perak, 15 Feb. 1877. Saw several Bee-eaters near the river; 

 two of them kept flying about a leafless tree, now and then 

 resting on its topmost branches; wanting specimens, I shot 

 them both, and found them to be M. quinticolor, not unlike 

 the European M. apiaster. One of these birds, a male, 

 measured 8 inches in length; head and nape pale ruddy 

 chestnut, wings bluish-green; chin and throat pale yellow, 

 bounded below by a dark bar; lower back and upper tail- 

 coverts pale blue, tending to white. 



" Its stomach contained beetles and small flies." 



" Kwala Kangsar, Perak, 25 Feb. 1877. Close to camp I 

 came on several Bee-eaters, which were flying about a sand- 

 bank near the river ; they were of two species, M. quinticolor 

 and M. badius. 



" I shot specimens of each. One of the latter, a male, 

 measured 12 inches in length ; irides crimson ; head, nape, 

 and upper back rich dark chestnut ; the two central tail-fea- 

 thers taper to a point nearly 3 inches beyond the rest of the 

 tail; chin, throat, and tail blue; lower back and tail-coverts 

 pale blue; beneath bright green, becoming whitish and slightly 

 tinged with pale blue towards the vent," 



