

MEKOPINZE. 



left, where they again seat themselves to Avait the appearance of another insect. During the morning and in the 

 evening they are sometimes noticed to congregate in company, hawking actively about, and apparently catching insects 

 in the manner of swallows. Their flight is graceful, and is capable of being sustained for a lengthened migration. 

 Their cry is loud, and consists of pleasant whistling notes, which are continually repeated during the morning and 

 evening flight. The young are reared in horizontal holes, formed in the sandy banks of rivers, or in rocks which are 

 sufficiently soft for them to excavate. The entrance is small, reaching inwardly to the depth of a yard or more, and 

 having at the end of the tube a receptacle of such dimensions that the parent bird can easily turn within it. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, and are deposited on the bare sand, or on moss and other soft materials. 



1. M. apiaster Linn. PI. enl. 938. — Merops chrysocephalus 

 Gmel. ; M. Schceghagha Forsk. Le Vaill. Hist. Guep. t. 1, 2., Gould, 

 B. of Eur. pi. 59., Hist. d'Egypt, Ois. t. 4. f. 3. 



2. M. persieus Pall. Zoogr. i. p. 440. 



3. M. cegyptius Forsk. Faun. Arab. p. 1., Kittl. Kupf. der Vog. 

 t. 7. f. 1. — Merops viridissimus Swains, Le Vaill. Guep. t. 10. ; 

 M. Lamarkii Vieill. 



4. M. albicollis Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 1 5., Le Vaill. 

 Guep. t. 9. — Merops Cuvieri Licht. 



5. M. superciliosus Linn. PI. enl. 259. — Merops rufleapillus 

 Vieill. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 19. 



6. M. Savignii Cuv. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 6. 6.* — Merops rufi- 

 collis Vieill. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 16., Swains. B. of W. Afr. pi. 7-, 

 Zool. Illustr. pi. 76. 



7. M. javanicus Horsf. Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 171. — Merops Sa- 

 vignii Temm. 



8. M. ornatus Lath. Lewin, N. Holl. Birds, pi. 1 8., Gould, B. 

 of Austr. pi., Le Vaill. Guep. t. 4. 



9. M. philippinus Linn. PI. enl. 57; Le Vaill. Guep. t. 14. — 

 Merops Daudini Cuv. 



10. M. viridis Linn. PI. enl. 740. 



11. M. quinticolor Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 20., Le 

 Vaill. Guep. t. 15. — Merops urica Horsf. Swains. Zool. Illustr. 

 pi. 8. 



12. M. erythrocephalus Gmel. Nat. Misc.pl. 357. 



13. M. sumatranus Raffl. Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 294. 



14. M. badius Gmel. PI. enl. 252. — Merops castaneus Lath. 

 Le Vaill. Guep. t, 12, 13. ; M. senegalensis Shaw. 



1 5. M. nubicus Gmel. PL enl. 649. — Merops cseruleocephalus 

 Lath. ; M. superbus Perm. Shaw, Nat. Misc. pi. 78. & 613., Swains. 

 B. of W. Afr. pi. 9., Le Vaill. Guep. t. 3. 



16. M. hirundinaceus Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 21., 

 Le Vaill. Guep. t. 8., Swains. B. of W. Afr.pl. 10. — Merops taiva 

 Cuv. ; M. chrysolaimus Jard. Sj Selby, Ornith. Illustr. pi. 99. 



17. M. angolensis Gmel. Briss. Orn. iv. t. 44. f. 1. A. 



18. M. Leschenaultii Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 18., Le 

 Vaill. Guep. t. 18. 



19. M. collaris Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 16., Kittl. 

 Kupf. der Vog. t. 7- f. 2. 



20. M. longicauda Vieill. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 15. 



21. ? M. bicolor Daud. Ann. du Mus. ii. t. 62. f. 1. — Merops 

 malembicus Shaw, Nat. Misc. pi. 7] ., Le Vaill. Guep. t. 5., Vieill. 

 Gal. des Ois. 1. 186. 



22. ? M. citrinella Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 24., Le 

 Vaill. Guep. 1. 11. (a variety). 



23. ? M. coromandus Lath. Sonn. Voy. Ind. t. 119. — M. flavi- 

 cans Gmel. ? (a variety). 



24. M. orientalis Lath. 



25. M. cmrulescens Lath. 



26. M. Lafresnayii Guer. Rev. Zool. 1843. p. 322. 



Melittophagus Boie.* 



Differs from the former genus by having the Wings reaching to the middle of the tail, and rounded, 

 with the first quill more than half the length of the third, which is rather longer than the second, and 

 the longest of all. Tail long, broad, and even. 



The species of this division are peculiar to the continent of Africa. Their habits and manners are similar to those of 

 the last genus. 



1. M. erythropterus (Gmel.) Boie. — Merops minutus Vieill.; 

 M. minulus Cuv. Le Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 17. 



2. M. variegatus (Vieill.) N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 25., Kittl. 

 Kupf. der V6g. t.7- f- 3. 



3. M. ? Le Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 7- 



4. M. B-ullocMi (Vieill.) Nouv. Diet, de Hist. Nat. xiv. 13., Le 



Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 20., Donov. Nat. Rep. t. 45. — Merops cy- 

 anogaster Swains. B. of W. Afr. pi. 8. 



5. M. Bullockoides (A. Smith), S. Afr. Quart. Journ. 1 834., 111. 

 S. Afr. Zool. Birds, pi. 9. 



6. M. gularis (Shaw), Nat. Miscell. pi. 337- 



M. Boie established this genus 



I (J*), 



