Birds from Sierra Leone. 219 



Family Meropidjj. 



Melittophagus pusillus. 



Migratory. It was fairly cornmon about Freetown at the 

 end of July. I obtained one breeding male near Freetown 

 in Marchj but saw no other individuals about. On 2 Oct. 

 I saw a number of immature individuals on Turner's 

 Peninsula and obtained several specimens. 



Melittophagus gularis. 



Never seen near Freetown, but I met with it occasionally 

 up-country between Mayeppa and Matotaka. 



Merops persicus. 



Migratory. Fairly plentiful about Freetown from May 

 till about the middle of July, when they disappeared. 



Merops nubicus. 



I only once saw this bird — near Batabi in the Ribbi 

 Chiefdom. One specimen was obtained by Dr. Bower in 

 the Karine District. 



Merops albicollis. 



Migratory. Arrives at Freetown at the end of October or 

 beginning of November^ and remains till about the middle 

 of May. Very common. Irides deep red. 



Merops mentalis. 



Merops mentalis Cabanis, J. f. O. 1889^ p. 78 (Karaerun). 



Merops northcotti Sharpe, Bull. B. O. C. vol. x. 1900, 

 p. xlix (Gold Coast— Shelley Coll. Brit. Mus.). 



Merops marionis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xiii. 1903, 

 p. 33 (Fernando Po). 



Merops muelleri mentalis Parrot, Gen. A v. pt. 14, 1911, 

 p. 5. 



The above synonymy, with which I concur^ is that given 

 by Dr. Carl Parrot iloc. cit.), who rightly refers the figure 

 of Melittophagus millleri in Dresser's monograph (Monog. 

 Merop. pi. 30, 1885) to this species. At the same time, 

 however, he refers his own figure (Gen. Av. pt. 14, 1911, 

 pi. fig. 4) to M. millleri millleri (Cass.), although it was 



