116 



p. 63 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 58 ; Dresser, Mon. 



Mer. p. 7, pi. 3 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 96 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. 



N. H. Soc. vi, p. 333 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 88. 

 Bucia nepalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 361 (1836). 

 Merops cyanogularis, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. 8. xi, p. 229 (1840). 

 Alcemerops athertonii, Blyth, Cat. p. 52. 



The Blue-necked Bee-eater, Jerdon ; Bukay Chera, Nepal ; Sany-rhyok, 

 Lepcha ; Pya-too-huet, Burmese. 



Fig. 32. Head of N. athertoni. 



Coloration. Forehead, sometimes to vertex, pale verditer-blue ; 

 whole upper parts, with sides of neck and breast and upper 

 surface of wings and tail, grass-green; chin, middle of throat 

 and of upper breast, forming a broad line, light blue, the long 

 breast-feathers deep verditer except at the margins ; lower surface 

 from breast, including the wing-lining, ochreous buff, streaked with 

 broad green shaft-stripes from breast to vent ; tail-feathers dull 

 ochreous yellow beneath, their outer margins and tips blackish. 



Bill horny, light at the base below ; iris brown : legs fleshy 

 brown, tinged with green (Oates). 



Length 14 ; tail 5*25 ; wing 5'8 ; tarsus *7 ; bill from gape 2-3. 

 The female somewhat less. 



Distribution. Resident throughout the Lower Himalayas as far 

 west as Dehra Dun, from the plains to about 4000 feet, also from 

 Assam to Tenasserim, Siam, and Cambodia, throughout the Burmese 

 countries, in the larger forests. This Bee-eater is replaced in 

 Southern Tenasserim by the next species, but it is found in the 

 Malabar forests from the neighbourhood of Belgaum to Travancore. 

 The only other reported occurrence in the Peninsula of India 

 is at Sambalpur, whence there are two skins in the Hume Collection. 

 Not known in Ceylon. 



Habits, fyc. A forest-bird, usually seen solitary or in pairs, 

 perching on high trees, and capturing insects on the wing. The 

 eggs were obtained by Major Bingham in Tenasserim from a hole 

 7 feet deep in the bank of a stream on April 23rd ; they were four 

 in number, hard-set, nearly round, white and glossy, and measured 

 about 1'14 by 1'03. Several similar nests and eggs were taken by 

 Mr. Davidson in Kanara at the end of March, and by Mr. E. C. 

 Steuart Baker in Cachar from March till June. It was long supposed, 

 doubtless erroneously, that this bird might breed in holes of trees. 



