APPENDIX A 285 



differs in having the head and neck black. It was plentiful 

 everywhere and its flesh was reported to be good eating. 

 It frequented the fruit-bearing trees in company with 

 various species of Pigeons and Mr. Claude Grant on one 

 or two occasions observed pairs at what he took to be 

 their nesting-holes high up in the bare trunks of very tall 

 trees. Their heavy noisy flight and raucous call, continu- 

 ally repeated, renders these birds difficult to overlook. 



FAMILY ^/^A'O/'/Z?.-/^— BEE-EATERS. 



A species of Bee -eater, Merops ovnata, was common 

 about the base camp. It ranges to Austraha, the 

 Moluccas and westwards to the Lesser Sunda group. Mr. 

 GoodfeHow says it swarmed in some places after the 

 month of April ; though previous to that date none had 

 been met with. 



FAMILY C0RAC1IDA-: — ROLLERS. 



Two species of Rollers inhabit the Mimika district 

 Eurystomus crassirostris, a greenish-blue species with 

 brilliant ultramarine throat, quills and tail-feathers and 

 vermilion bill and feet ; and a smaller species E. australis 

 with brownish-green upper-parts, verditer-blue breast 

 and bluish-green bases to the tail-feathers. 



Both Bee-eaters and Rollers were common in flocks 

 along the banks of the Mimika during April and May 

 when preying on the canary-coloured May-fly, which 

 swarmed on the waters at that season. 



FAMILY ALCEDINID.E — KINGFISHERS. 



Kingfishers were well represented in the Mimika 

 district and Mr. GoodfeHow says that the Sacred King- 

 fisher [Halcyon sancHts) was undoubtedly the most 



