340 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 



303. MEROP8 AMERICAN US P. L. S. Mttller. 



CHESTNUT-HEADED BEEBIRD. 



Merops americanus P. L. S. MULLEB, Natursyst. Suppl. (1776), 95; MC- 

 GREGOR and WORCESTER, Hand-List (1906), 56. 



Merops bicolor BODDAERT, Tabl. PI. Enl. (1783), 15; WALDEX, Trans. Zool. 

 Soc. (1875), 9, 150, pi. 26, fig. 1; SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 

 17, 60; Handlist (1900), 2, 73; GATES and RIED, Cat. Birds' Egg* 

 (1903), 3, 49. 



Pe-ric', Manila; pi-ley pi-ley, Lubang. 



Bohol (McGregor)-, Cagayancillo (McGregor) ; Calamianes (Bourns d Wor- 

 cester)-, Catanduanes ( Whitehead) ; Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Mc- 

 Gregor)-, Cresta de Gallo (McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere 

 Exp.) ; Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Mollendorff, 

 Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor) ; Marinduque (Steere Exp.) ; Masbat 

 (Bourns d Worcester, McGregor) ; Mindanao (Steere, Murray, Everett, Koch & 

 Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow) ; Mindoro 

 (Steere Exp., Schmacker, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Meyer, Everett, Steere 

 Exp., Bourns d Worcester) ; Panay (Steere, Bourns d Worcester) ; Samar (Bourns 

 d Worcester, Whitehead); Semirara (Worcester) ; Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas 

 (Bourns d Worcester). 



Adult (sexes alike). Above, from bill to and including mantle and 

 sides of neck, bright chestnut; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 clear sky-blue ; a band from corner of mouth through eye -to ear-coverts 

 black, bordered below by sky-blue; below apple-green, lighter posteriorly 

 and more or less mixed with blue; under tail-coverts light blue; wings 

 and coverts dark green; primaries and secondaries with dusky tips and 

 dark ocherous-buff inner webs; long tertials tipped with dark blue; 

 tail above dark cerulean-blue, the lateral feathers darker than middle 

 pair which are broadly tipped with black ; shafts black, tail brown below. 

 Iris bright red; bill and nails black; legs dark flesh. Length, including 

 long tail-feathers, about 300. Three males from Mariveles, Luzon, meas- 

 ure: Wing, 117 to 118; tail, without long feathers, 87; bill from nostril, 

 34 to 36. 



"Young. Differs from the adult in being duller and greener, the red 

 of the head being overshaded with green and the mantle and upper 

 back green ; the under surface is paler, the throat and abdomen pale blue 

 and the breast light green." (Sharpe.) 



"Nest. Nests in level sandy strips of ground. The tunnel is some 

 50 mm. in diameter at its mouth and at first runs sharply downward. 

 When a depth of 60 to 90 cm. has been reached it turns and slopes 

 gradually upward for 120 to 150 cm. of its length, ending in an enlarged 

 chamber in which the eggs are deposited on the bare sand. The eggs 

 are pure white and highly polished. They are frequently nearly spherical. 

 They vary from 21 to 24 in length by 18 to 20 in breadth. 



"Sometimes feeds singly, but is more usually found in small flocks, 

 and at times very large flocks gather, apparently attracted by swarms 



