Australian Birds in the Collection of the Linnean Society. 209 



In Dr. Latham's first description* of his Merops orna fus, a 

 New Holhmd species of this genus not in the Society's collec- 

 tion, a bird is alkided to, which was figured in Mr. Lambert's 

 collection of drawings, and whose characters nearly accord 

 with the bird before us. Dr. Latham conjectures it to be the 

 female of M. ornatus. In the second edition of his work+, he 

 repeats the same observation, but does not refer to the speci- 

 mens in the Society's museum. One of the birds, however, in 

 the collection is a male, as we find recorded in Mr. Caley's 

 notes. Dr. Latham's conjecture respecting sex consequently 

 proves erroneous. And the two specimens from which our above 

 description is taken, according in every particular with each 

 other, and exhibiting a fine state of preservation, are so distinct 

 from M. ornatus, that we cannot consider ourselves authorised 

 to come at once to the conclusion that they are varieties of that 

 species. The tail in our bird is black, which in M. ornntus is 

 chestnut ; and the fore part of the head is of the same colour as 

 the back, while in Dr. Latham's bird it is dull orange:!.. ^Joth 

 these species dift'er from the 71/. viridis of Linnœus by their 

 greater size ; by the throat being orange-yellow instead of blue, 

 and by having a conspicuous longitudinal streak of light blue 

 immediately under the black band that passes beneath the eye. 

 The rectrices also of the Indian Bee-Eater are green above, while 

 in the other two species they are either black or chestnut. 



INIr. Caley informs us, that the specimens in the Society's 

 collection were brought to him dead : he never had an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the bird in its living state. He was told that it 

 was a bird of passage, and bred near the contlux of the Grose 

 with the Hawkesbury River. Its nest was said to be in the 



* Gen. Syn. Sitpp. ii. p. 155. no. l6. + Vol. iv. p. 130. no. 9. 



J The bird which Mr. Lewin has figured in his " Birds of Neto Holland" (pi. 2.), 

 and which he has referred to Dr. Latham's Merops ornatus, seems rallier to belong to 

 our species. 



VOL. XV. 2 E sandy 



