MEROPID.E. 03 



hair-like feathers ; tarsus half feathered ; anterior toes of equal 

 length, barely joined at the base ; a naked skin round, the eyes. 



Harpactes fasciatus, Forst. 



115. Jerdon's Birds" of India, Vol. I, p. 201 ; Butler, Deccan 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 381. 



THE MALABAR TROGON. 



Length, 12 ; expanse, 16 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 6 ; bill at front, 0'5 ; 

 bill at gape, 1. 



Bill deep blue ; orbital skin smalt-blue ; irides dark-brown ; 

 feet light lavender-blue. 



Male, entire head and neck black ; the rest of the upper 

 plumage castaneous olive-brown; the lesser wing-coverts, ter- 

 tiaries, and some of the secondaries finely streaked with black 

 and white ; breast, belly and lower parts fine crimson red ; the 

 tail with the centre feathers the same color as the back but 

 more chesnut ; the lateral feathers black and white. 



The female wants the black head and neck, which are con- 

 colorous with the body ; the tertiaries and coverts are finely 

 banded black and brown, and the lower plumage is ochreous- 

 yellow instead of red. 



The Malabar Trogon occurs sp aringly in the forest tracts of 

 the Deccan and South Mahratta country, but does not occur in 

 any other portion of the district. 



FAMILY, Meropidae. 



Bill lengthened, rather slender, slightly curved throughout, 

 sharp pointed ; wings long and pointed ; tail generally even, 

 moderate or long, with the central-feathers frequently elongated. 



GENUS, Merops, Lin. 



Bill very long, slender, slightly curved, depressed at base, 

 somewhat compressed for the rest of its length; culmen keeled ; 

 tip entire, sharp, not bent down ; nostrils partially covered 

 by a tuft of bristles ; some small rictal bristles at the base of 

 the bill ; wings long and pointed ; first quill longest ; tips of the 

 lesser quills emarginate ; tail somewhat lengthened, nearly even, 

 the two centre feathers occasionally lengthened ; tarsus very 

 short ; feet short with the two lateral toes much syndactyle ; 

 outer-toe much longer than the inner one ; claws acute, strong, 

 well-curved. 



Merops viridis, Lin. 



117. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 205 ; Butler, Guzerat ; 



Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 455 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, 

 Vol. IX, p. 381 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoo'.ogy of Sind, p. 107 ; 

 Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 60. 



