MEROPIDiE. 205 



117. Merops viridiS; Lin. 



M. orlentalis, Lath. — Sykes, Cat. 23— M. Indicug, apud 

 Jkedon, Cat. 239— Bltth, Cat. 236— Hoesf., Cat. 104— M. 

 torquatus and M. ferrugiceps, Hodgs. — Edw. Birds, pi. 183 — 

 Hurrial, and Pa&inga, Hind. — Bansputtee i. e., bamboo-leaf, in 

 Bengal. — Chinna passeriki, Tel. i. e., small green bird. 



The Common Indian Bee-eater. 



Vescr. — Plumage above bright grass-green, the head, nape, and 

 hind neck, burnished with golden ; a black eye-streak from the 

 base of the bill through the eye to the top of the ear-coverts ; 

 quills with a reddish tinge, especially on the inner web, and all 

 tipped dusky ; tail duller green, the webs dusky at the inner edge ; 

 the two central feathers elongated ; chin and throat verdigris- 

 green, and a black collar on the top of the breast ; the rest of the 

 lower parts bright green, mixed with verdigris, paler and more 

 coerulescent on the lower abdomen, and under tail-coverts. 



Bill black ; irides blood-red ; feet dark plumbeous. 



Length to end of lateral tail feathers 7 to 7^ inches ; centre 

 feathers 1-| to 2-| or more ; wing 3-^ to 3f ; tail outer feathers 2^^^^, 

 extend 1^ inches beyond end of wing ; two centre feathers nearly 

 5 ; bill at front ly^ ; tarsus f . 



A variety, with the head and neck more rufous than usual, 

 named ferrugiceps by Hodgson, is occasionally met with in 

 some districts, and appears to be the prevalent race in Burmah. 

 Hodgson's torquatus has a verditer-blue throat ; this last variety 

 is by no means uncommon in Southern India, but I do not know 

 under what circumstances it occurs, and whether permanently or 

 otherwise, but it probably partially depends on the abrasion of the 

 feathers of that part. 



The Indian Bee-eater is found over the whole of India, extend- 

 ing to Arrakan, the Indo-Chinese countries, and to Ceylon. It does 

 not ascend mountains, to any height at least, and the specimen in 

 the British Museum from Mr. Hodgson, marked from Darjeeling, as- 

 suredly never was killed there, though it occurs at the footof the hills. 



It is a very common bird, and is a most characteristic adjunct of 

 Indian scenery. It generally hunts, lilce the Fly-catchers, from a 



