108 



MEROPIDiE. 



collar on top of the breast, black; quills reddish, tipped dusky; tail 

 very dull green, the edges of their inner webs dusky; elongated portion 

 of the two central feathers dark brown ; bill black; irides blood red. 



Length. — 975 inches to tip of central tail feathers, wing 3'5 to 3'75, 

 bill at front I'l. 



Hah. — The whole of India, extending to Ceylon and Indo- China. 

 Occurs also at Quetta in Beloochistan, Persia and Egypt ; also in 

 Southern India (Travancore) Nepaul an'd Cashmere. 



Merops phillipinus, Linn. ; P. E. 57. Jerd. B. Ind. p. 207, 

 No. UB;Hume, Str.F.il 162; ix. 152, 381 ; Murray, Hdbk, Zool, Sj-c, 

 Sind, p. 127. — The Blue-tailed Bee-Eater. 



Distinguished from the last, M. viridis, by the upper parts being dull 

 green ; the rump and upper tail-coverts azure blue ; the chin yellowish 

 white; tail dull blue; throat and sides of the face ferruginous; under 

 tail-coverts pale blue ; irides crimson. 



Length. — 12 to ]2'5 inches, wing 5-25. 



Hah. — Throughout India and Ceylon. 



Merops persicus. Pall. heis. App. p. 708; Zoogr. Ros. p. As.\. 

 p. 440; De F. Viag. in Pers. p. 346. M. ^gyptius, Forskahl, Desc. de'l 

 Egypt, p. 1 ; Jerd. B. Ind. p. 210. 



Distinguished from M. viridis and M. phiUipiniis by a narrow 

 yellowish white line on the forehead, edged by another pale 'blue one, 

 which continues over the eye as asupercilium ; a white line edged with 

 blue from the gape running below the streak through the eye ; chin 

 yellow ; throat deep chestnut. 



Length. — 12 inches, wing 6, tail 3'25. 



Hah. — Throughout Asia Minor, Beloochistan, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, 

 Africa, E. and South Europe, and India. In Sindand the Punjab common, 



Merops apiaster, Linn.; P. E. 938; Navm, vogt. t. 143; Lev. 

 Guep. t. 1, 2 ; Jerd. B. Ind. p. 210, No. 121 ; Bume, Str. F. vol, vii. 

 p. 4''3 ; Blanford, Eastern Persia, ii. p. 122 ; AI array, Hdbk., Zool., ^-c, 

 Sind. — ^The Edeopean Bee-Eateb. 



Top of head rich chestnut brown, also the neck, upper back, 

 wing-coverts and secondaries ; forehead dull white, passing into 

 pale verdigris green; chin and throat bright yellow ; a bluish black 

 streak from the base of the bill through the eye descending to a 

 narrow black ring, which encircles the neck. Primaries narrow and 

 pointed, dusky on the inner webs, fine greenish blue on the outer, 

 the tips and shafts black; secondaries also tipped black; tertiaries blue 

 green; larger and lesser under wing-coverts fawn colour; lower 

 back yellow tinged with chestnut and green ; tail greenish blue or 

 dull green ; the two middle feathers darker, tipped blackish, and 

 elongated beyond the rest; upper tail-coverts bluish green, with a 

 yellowish tinge; breast and lower parts greenish blue; under tail- 

 coverts pale blue; bill black, long and curved, and with a strong blunt 

 ridge; legs reddish brown ; claws reddish black. The plumage of the 

 female is less bright ; the central tail feathers shorter than in the male. 



