78 BLVE-GEEEKED BEE-EATEB. 



shading off into black towards the tip; under wing coverts and flanks 

 a rich chesnnt, like the chest, while the rest of the under parts of 

 the wing, and those of the tail, are glossy hair brown. Throat 

 yellow, going ofl" into a darker chesnut on the crop; sides of the 

 neck, abdomen, and under tail coverts, vivid Scheeles green; beak 

 black; feet horn brown. 



Temminck notices two varieties in his 'Manual,' fourth part, 1840, 

 p. 651. The var. A, are specimens from Senegal, which, he says, 

 difler in some of the tints of plumage, by having the two middle 

 tail feathers longer, and by having shorter wings — differences which 

 are seriously recommended to species makers. This variety has been 

 figured by Bonaparte, in his "Fauna Italica," and by Le Vaillant, pi. 

 6, bis. 



The other variety, B, which is that which I have figured, from 

 Nubia and Egypt, has less blue in the green of the upper plumage, 

 the middle tail feathers are rather shorter, and the wings slightly 

 longer, reaching near to the end of the lateral tail feathers. This is 

 Le Vaillant's Guepier, pi. 6. In my specimen, which was kindly sent 

 me by Mr. Tristram, and marked "Egypt," the wings, when closed, 

 do not reach to within an inch of the end of the lateral tail feathers. 



There is still another variety found in Japan, the Merops jcwanicum 

 of Horsfield, which is, however, easily distinguished by its bright 

 blue rumj). 



According to Bonaparte, Merops persica of Pallas is different from 

 the Merops samgmji of Swainson, a statement which it is impossible 

 to admit for a moment. The bird I have figured is in all particulars 

 precisely the bird described by Swainson as M. savignyi, the Blue- 

 cheeked Bee-eater, "Birds of Africa," vol. ii., p. 77, pi. 7. 



Figured by Le Vaillant, Hist. Nat. Promer, pi. 6 et 6 bis; Swainson, 

 Birds of Africa, vol. ii., pi. 7; Bonaparte, Fauna Italica, pi. !25, fig. 1. 



