82 CORACIIDjE. MEROPIDiE. 



Coracias garrula. Eoller. 



Coracias Garrula, LinruBus, S. N. i. p. 159 (1766). 



Coracias garrula, Naum. ii. p. 158 ; Macg. iii. p. 540 ; Hewit- 

 son, p. 253 ; Gray, p. 35 ; Yarr. ed. 2, ii. p. 211 ; id. 

 ed. 3, ii. p. 216 ; Gould, ii. pi. 11 ; Harting, p. 34 ; 

 Dresser, v. p. 141. 



The Roller, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 195! 



Garrula = a Jay, in late Latin ; from garrtdus = chattering. 



A rare straggler to Great Britain and Ireland from the 

 continent of Europe. It is a generally distributed summer 

 visitant throughout the Palsearctic Region as far east as Turke- 

 stan and Cashmir, not ranging far north in Scandinavia and 

 Northern Russia, and occurs in winter far south in the Ethio- 

 pian Region. 



Family MEROPID^. 



Genus MEROPS, Unnaus, S. N. i. p. 182 (1766). 



Merops = fiepoi^i, the Bee-eater, in Aristotle. Probably akin to ftapTrru = I 

 seize ; and not from jieipofiai, fjiepi^oi, I divide, and oi|/ = the face, as if " open- 

 mouthed." 



Merops apiaster. Bee-eatee. 



Merops Apiaster, Linnceus, S. N. i. p. 182 (1766). 



Merops apiaster, Naum. v. p. 462 ; Macg. iii. p. 685 ; Heivit- 

 son, p. 254; Gray, p. 37; Yarr. ed. 2, ii. p. 217; id. 

 ed. 3, ii. p. 222 ; Gould, ii. pi. 9 ; Harting, p. 34 ; Dresser, 

 V. p. 155. 



The Bee-eater, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 200. 



Apiaster, from iijjis = a bee. Servias, commenting on Virgil, Georff. iv. 14, 

 early in the 5th century, translates merops by apiastra. 



A rare straggler to England and Scotland, its true home 

 in summer being Southern Europe, North Africa, and Western 

 Asia. In the winter it travels down to the extreme south of 

 Africa. 



[Merops j)Uli])]f)mus. Blub-tailed Bee-eatez. 



Merops philippinus, Linnceus, S.N. i. p. 183 (1766). 



Merops philippeusis, Newton, ii. p. 442, note. 



P/ii7;jj^jin!(S=iuhabiting the Philippines. 



