1841.] Birds in the Museum of the Asiatic Society, 631 



*' I found this bird in the dilapidated ruins about Boodh Gyah, and 

 subsequently other specimens near Hadjipur, Tirhoot. It does not 

 appear to differ from the white Owl of England." — C. W, Smith's 

 MS. Notes, 



Mr. Homfray's specimen was procured at Howrah. 



Dr. Horsfield has named this bird Strix Javanica, thinking it differ- 

 ent from the European species. And the compiler of the Catalogue of 

 Col. Sykes' collection from the Duckhan, published in the proceedings 

 of the Zoological Society for 1832, page 82, states, that " a comparison 

 of several specimens with the European bird satisfies Col. Sykes, that 

 Dr. Horsfield was right in separating it. Neither sex is unspotted 

 beneath, nor has the Indian species a white disc." 



8. Order Insessores. 



Tribus. Fissirostkes. 



Fam. Meropid^. 



Genus. Merops. 



Sp. M. Viridis, The green Bee-eater. 



Presented and mounted by M. Eouchez. Merops Viridis, Syst. Nat, 

 I. 182. Turton's Lin. I. 284. Gmelin Lin. I. 460. Shaw's Gen. Zool. 

 VIIL 156. Stephen's XIII. 73. Latham. Gen. Hist. IIL 122. 



'* These birds are very numerous throughout India, their time of 

 incubation is the month of June, and for months after they are hatched, 

 the whole brood congregate, and swim about with the swiftest and 

 most entire movements through the air, making short dips and return- 

 ing to the topmost twig, from which they took flight : during these 

 evolutions they are busily employed in snapping up the insects." — 

 a W, Smith's MS, Notes. 



The green Bee-eater has the power of gliding along for some dis- 

 tance without closing its wings ; so that its flight consists of two parts, 

 — a rapid commencement, in which the wings flap rapidly, and a quick 

 glide, with the wings and tail fully expanded. Its motion, especially in 

 this latter position, is extremely elegant; and its bright, almost metallic 

 plumage, shining in the evening sun, gives one the idea of a very 

 beautiful butterfly rather than of a bird. 



