82 COBACIIDJ5. MEROPID^E. 



Coracias garrula. ROLLER. 



Coracias Garrula, Linnaeus, S. N. i. p. 159 (1766). 

 Coracias garrula, Naum. ii. p. 158; Macg. iii. p. 540 ; Hewit- 



son, p. 253; Gray, p. 35; Yarr. ed. 2, ii. p. 211; id. 



ed. 3, ii. p. 216; Gould, ii. pi. 11; Harting, p. 34; 



Dresser, v. p. 141. 

 The Roller, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 195. 



Garrula = a Jay, in late Latin ; from garrulus = chattering. 



A rare straggler to Great Britain and Ireland from the 

 continent of Europe. It is a generally distributed summer 

 visitant throughout the Palsearctic Region as far east as Turke- 

 stan and Cashmir, not ranging far north in Scandinavia and 

 Northern Russia, and occurs in winter far south in the Ethio- 

 pian Region. 



Family MEROPID^E. 

 Genus MEROPS, Linnaus, S. N. i. p. 182 (1766). 



Merops = fiepot//, the Bee-eater, in Aristotle. Probably akin to /tapTrrw = I 

 seize ; and not from /iet'po/uai, fiepiw, I divide, and o^ = the face, as if " open- 

 mouthed." 



Merops apiaster. BEE-EATER. 

 Merops Apiaster, Linnaeus, S. N. i. p. 182 (1766). 



Merops apiaster, Naum. v. p. 462 ; Macg. iii. p. 685 ; Hewit- 

 son,^ p. 254; Gray, p. 37; Yarr. ed. 2, ii. p. 217; id. 

 ed. 3, ii. p. 222 ; Gould, ii. pi. 9 ; Harting, p. 34 ; Dresser, 

 v. p. 155. 



The Bee-eater, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 200. 



Apiaster, from apis = a bee. Servius, commenting on Virgil, Greorg. iv. 14, 

 early in the 5th century, translates merops by apiastra. 



'A rare straggler to England and Scotland.- its true home 

 in summer being Southern Europe, North Africa^and Western 

 Asia. In the winter it travels down to the extreme south of 

 Africa. 



[Merops philippinus. BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATEE. 

 Merops philippinus, Linnaeus, S. N. i. p. 183 (1766) . 

 Merops philippensis, Newton, ii. p. 442, note. 

 Philipplnus inhabiting the Philippines. 



