BEE-EATER. 139 



21 —RED-HEADED BEE-EATER. 



Merops erythrocephalus, Ind. Orn.'i. 274. Gm. Lin.'v. 463. 



Apiaster Indicus erythrocephalus, Bris. iv. 563. t. 44. 3. A. Id. 8vo. ii. 201. 



Guepier a tete rouge, Buf. vi. 508. 



Red-headed Bee-Eater, Gen. Syn. ii. 679. Nat. Misc. pi. 357. Shaw's Zool. viii. 181. 



LENGTH six inches. Bill sixteen lines long, black ; irides red ; 

 head, and upper part of the neck fine red ; on each side of the head 

 a black band; from the bill through the eyes, back, scapulars, rump, 

 and upper tail coverts fine green; throat yellow ; the rest of the 

 parts beneath yellowish, shaded with red ; under the wings deep 

 green ; under tail coverts yellowish, edged with light green ; quills 

 and tail above deep green, beneath and margins ash-colour ; legs 

 dusky ash. 



Inhabits the East Indies. — M. Brisson describes this from a 

 painting of M. Le Poivre. 



22— BLUE-HEADED BEE-EATER. 



Merops caeruleocephalus, Ind. Orn. i. 274. Gm. Lin. i. 464. 

 Guepier rouge a tete bleue de Nubie, Buf. vi. 506. PL enl. 649. 

 Blue-headed Bee-Eater, Gen. Syn. ii. 680. Nat. Misc. pi. 613. Shaw's Zool. viii. 168. 

 pi. 21. 



LENGTH ten inches. Bill one inch and three quarters, black ; 

 head, throat, rump, and upper tail coverts blue green, deeper on the 

 two first ; through the eye, from the gape, a black streak ; fore part 

 of the neck, and beneath as far as the thighs, crimson, with a rufous 

 shade; back, wings, and tail glossy, faded, brick-coloured red, 



T2 



