V °i8 9 ^ 1 ] Steerr, Distribution of Birds in the Philip fines. 217 



tribution, the larger, Phabotreron amethystina, apparently 

 extending over the areas of the other five smaller species. 



The distinct conditions under which these subgenera exist 

 together were frequently apparent even in our hurried visit. The 

 species of Bee-birds, Merops, were quite closely observed. The 

 two species, M. bicolor and M. philippinns, probably exist 

 together on every island of the group. M. bicolor is social, 

 hundreds sometimes feeding together, in groves and forests, at a 

 height of fifty to a hundred or more feet from the ground. They 

 appear to be closely limited to honey bees as food. They were 

 found nesting semi-socially in dry, nearly level ground, into 

 which they burrowed several feet. This was in the island of 

 Marinduque in May, 1SS8. M. philippinns is solitary in habit 

 and feeds near the ground in open country, where it perches on 

 posts and on bushes. Its food, as far as observed, was wasps 

 and dragon- flies. It was not observed nesting. 



The species of the genus Ceyx were found to vary greatly in 

 their habitat. There were the woodland Ceyxes, Ceyx melanura 

 and its allies, always found away from the streams and in the 

 forests, and the river Ceyxes, C. cyanopectus and C. argentafa, 

 as universally found along the streams. 



Three species, of three subgenera, of so-called Halcyon were 

 found generally distributed over the islands together. These 

 were H. gularis (Entomobia) ; H. cor om an da (Callialcyon) ; 

 and H. chloris (Sauropatis). None of these frequented the 

 water; H. gularis being found in open plains feeding from the 

 ground, or perched in low trees ; H. coromanda in low, thick 

 undergrowth in forests, and H. chloris quite generally near the 

 sea beach and often in open coco groves about the coast villages. 



The maroon-backed Osmotreron is arboreal, feeding in the 

 high trees in flocks. Os/nolreron vernans, on the other hand, 

 inhabits thickets, where it feeds from the bushes or the ground, 

 and is found singly or in pairs. 



There remain five genera and ten species in which two species 

 of the same genus were found existing together in the same 

 islands, these not differing enough to appear to warrant placing 

 them in distinct sections of the genus. 



These genera, with the number of species of each found in the 

 islands, are the following: — 



