﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  71. 
  

  

  23. 
  Merops, 
  sp. 
  inc. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  a 
  Bee-eater 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  March 
  perching 
  on 
  the 
  

   telegraph 
  wires 
  near 
  the 
  Roman 
  Catholic 
  Chapel. 
  I 
  was 
  

   on 
  a 
  road 
  lower 
  down, 
  and 
  before 
  I 
  got 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  it 
  was 
  

   gone. 
  On 
  my 
  return 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  day, 
  I 
  observed 
  it 
  perched 
  

   on 
  a 
  gravestone 
  in 
  the 
  cemetery, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  made 
  fre- 
  

   quent 
  sallies 
  after 
  grasshoppers, 
  returning 
  each 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  gravestone. 
  It 
  was 
  rather 
  larger 
  than 
  M. 
  cyanophrys, 
  

   but 
  not 
  so 
  large 
  as 
  M. 
  persicus 
  ; 
  it 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  blue 
  

   cap 
  and 
  a 
  dark 
  blue 
  moustachial 
  streak, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  

   shining 
  on 
  it 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  distinguish 
  the 
  colours 
  easily. 
  

  

  Captain 
  Light, 
  in 
  a 
  note 
  to 
  me, 
  describes 
  a 
  bird 
  that 
  

   visited 
  his 
  compound 
  about 
  a 
  week 
  later; 
  this 
  may 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  same 
  bird, 
  his 
  compound 
  being 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  

   distance 
  away. 
  His 
  description 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  '' 
  Beak 
  

   black, 
  about 
  I'o 
  inch 
  long 
  [this 
  is 
  mere 
  guesswork^ 
  as 
  he 
  

   neither 
  shot 
  nor 
  captured 
  the 
  bird] 
  , 
  and 
  slightly 
  curved 
  ; 
  

   top 
  of 
  head 
  reddish 
  grey 
  ; 
  breast 
  and 
  neck 
  greyish 
  white 
  ; 
  

   thin 
  band 
  of 
  black 
  from 
  beak 
  to 
  eye^ 
  and 
  another 
  round 
  

   neck. 
  Back^ 
  upper 
  part, 
  light 
  grass-green, 
  gradually 
  going 
  

   off 
  into 
  metallic 
  blue 
  ; 
  tail 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  

   pointed. 
  Catches 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  insects 
  flying." 
  

  

  Too 
  much 
  stress 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  laid 
  on 
  these 
  colours 
  ; 
  as, 
  

   seen 
  in 
  bright 
  sunshine, 
  they 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  deceptive. 
  

  

  24. 
  CoRACiAs 
  GARRULUs, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  • 
  The 
  European 
  Roller, 
  or 
  " 
  Blue 
  Jay," 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  

   called, 
  is 
  fairly 
  common 
  inland, 
  and 
  is 
  frequently 
  found 
  in 
  

   Aden 
  itself 
  ; 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  that 
  any 
  remain 
  to 
  breed, 
  as 
  I 
  

   have 
  notes 
  of 
  their 
  occurrence 
  from 
  October 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   April 
  only. 
  A 
  pair 
  w^as 
  frequently 
  seen 
  in 
  Gold 
  more 
  Valley 
  

   during 
  the 
  cold 
  weather, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  hopes 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  

   breed, 
  but 
  they 
  left 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hot 
  season 
  had 
  well 
  set 
  

   in. 
  A 
  single 
  bird 
  took 
  up 
  his 
  quarters 
  in 
  the 
  tank 
  gardens 
  

   for 
  some 
  weeks. 
  Besides 
  these, 
  many 
  occasional 
  specimens 
  

   have 
  been 
  noted, 
  both 
  by 
  myself 
  and 
  others. 
  

  

  One 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  23rd 
  October 
  measured 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

   Length 
  12"75 
  inches, 
  expanse 
  21*5, 
  wing 
  7'G, 
  tail 
  5-1, 
  

  

  