BEE-EATER. 145 



29— WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER. 



Merops albifrons, Ind. Orn. Sup, i. xxxv. 



White-fronted Bee-eater, Gen. Syn. Sup.'n. 156. Shaw's Zool. viii. 179. 



LENGTH eight inches. Bill brown ; tongue longer than the 

 bill, and pointed ; back and wings fine rufous ; forehead and all 

 beneath white ; the feathers of the latter each marked down the shaft 

 with a black line, as are also the rufous ones above ; between the bill 

 and eye, sides of the head, the crown, and nape wholly black ; sides 

 of the body, under the wings, marked with five bluish bands; quills 

 and tail pale blue, spotted with white on the outer edge, within 

 darker ; tail even at the end, or a very trifle rounded ; the wings, 

 when closed, reach to the middle of it ; legs yellow brown. 



The female has the back and wings brown, beneath dirty yel- 

 lowish white, with dashes down the shafts as in the male ; forehead 

 brown and white spotted, the rest of the head brown, which is black 

 in the male ; the tail, too, seems shorter, and appears to be wholly 

 spotted with dirty yellow and brown, or rather dirty yellow, with 

 the brown spots in bars ; bill and legs as in the male. 



Inhabits New-Holland. — I am obliged to Gen. Davies, for the 

 above description, taken from specimens in the possession of Captain 

 King, which were brought from New South Wales. 



30.— NEW-HOLLAND BEE-EATER. 



Pied Bee-Eater, Shaw's Zool. viii. 165. 



LENGTH nine inches at least ; size of a Song Thrush. Bill 

 one inch long, pale ; plumage in general black ; sides of the head 



VOL. IV. TJ 



