﻿70 
  Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  

  

  no 
  doubt, 
  from 
  the 
  peculiar 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  

   a 
  family 
  near. 
  

  

  A 
  fourth 
  came 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  Indian 
  Marine 
  steamer 
  

   ' 
  Canning/ 
  about 
  40 
  miles 
  from 
  Aden, 
  as 
  she 
  was 
  returning 
  

   from 
  Berbera, 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  board. 
  It 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  

   tired, 
  but 
  the 
  Lascars 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  catch 
  it. 
  The 
  weather 
  

   was 
  rough, 
  it 
  being 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  south-west 
  monsoon 
  

   (end 
  of 
  July) 
  . 
  

  

  21. 
  Merops 
  cyanophrys 
  (Cab. 
  et 
  Heine). 
  

  

  This 
  little 
  Bee-eater 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  inland, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  per- 
  

   manent 
  resident, 
  breeding 
  freely 
  in 
  holes, 
  which 
  it 
  makes 
  in 
  

   the 
  river 
  bank 
  at 
  Huswah, 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  harbour. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  my 
  specimens 
  were 
  procured 
  there. 
  They 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  visit 
  the 
  tanks, 
  but 
  do 
  not 
  remain 
  long, 
  there 
  being 
  

   no 
  suitable 
  places 
  for 
  nesting. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  measurements 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  flesh 
  : 
  — 
  

   Length, 
  including 
  central 
  tail-feathers, 
  8-2 
  inches, 
  expanse 
  

   11, 
  wing 
  3-75, 
  tarsus 
  0*4, 
  bill 
  at 
  front 
  0-9, 
  bill 
  at 
  gape 
  1-4. 
  

   Bill, 
  legs, 
  and 
  feet 
  black 
  ; 
  iris 
  pale 
  orange. 
  

  

  22. 
  Merops 
  peesicus. 
  Pall. 
  

  

  I 
  only 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  Egyptian 
  Bee-eater 
  on 
  one 
  occasion 
  ; 
  

   this 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  September, 
  when 
  they 
  appeared 
  in 
  

   hundreds 
  all 
  over 
  Aden; 
  they 
  only 
  remained 
  about 
  two 
  

   hours. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  procure 
  a 
  specimen, 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  gun 
  

   with 
  me, 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  duty 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  leave 
  ; 
  I 
  sent 
  an 
  

   Arab 
  on 
  the 
  errand, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  delayed 
  by 
  an 
  officious 
  

   policeman 
  wishing 
  to 
  arrest 
  him 
  for 
  carrying 
  arms 
  without 
  a 
  

   permit, 
  who 
  detained 
  him 
  so 
  long 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  reached 
  

   me 
  with 
  the 
  gun 
  the 
  birds 
  had 
  all 
  disappeared. 
  I 
  feel 
  sure 
  

   that 
  I 
  have 
  identified 
  the 
  bird 
  correctly, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  with 
  

   which 
  I 
  am 
  well 
  acquainted. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Caine, 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Telegraph 
  Company, 
  showed 
  me 
  

   Che 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  one 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  procured 
  some 
  

   three 
  years 
  previously, 
  when, 
  he 
  informs 
  me, 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   similar 
  migration 
  occurred. 
  This 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  large 
  Bee- 
  

   eater 
  alluded 
  to 
  by 
  Major 
  Yerbury 
  (' 
  Ibis,' 
  1886, 
  p. 
  15). 
  

  

  