164 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER. 



of the beak straight through the eye is a hand of 

 dark green. All the upper parts of the body green, 

 more vivid on the rump, and from thence shading off 

 along the long tail feathers into green russet, while the 

 tips are black. The win >• primaries dark green, with 

 the most internal part of the broad inner web dusky 

 brown, shading off into black towards the tip; under 

 wing coverts and flanks a rich chesnut, like the chest, 

 while the rest of the under parts of the wing, and 

 those of the tail, are glossy hair brown. Throat yellow, 

 going off into a darker chesnut on the crop; sides of 

 the neck, abdomen, and under tail coverts, vivid 

 Scheeles green; beak black; feet horn brown. 



Temminck notices two varieties in his "Manual," 

 fourth part, 1840, p. 651. The var. A, are specimens 

 from Senegal, which, he says, differ in some of the 

 tints of the plumage, by having the two middle tail 

 feathers longer, and by having shorter wings — differences 

 which are seriously recommended to species makers. 

 This variety has been figured by Bonaparte, in his 

 "Fauna Italica," and by Le Vaillant, pi. 6, bis. 



The other variety, B, which is that which I have 

 figured, from Nubia and Egypt, has less blue in the 

 green of the upper plumage, the middle tail feathers 

 are rather shorter, and the wings slightly longer, 

 reaching near to the end of the lateral tail feathers. 

 This is Le Vaillant's Guepier, pi. 6. In my specimen, 

 which was kindly sent me by Mr. Tristram, and marked 

 "Egypt," the wings, when closed, do not reach to 

 within an inch of the end of the lateral tail feathers. 



There is still another variety, found in Japan, the 

 Merop's Javanicum of Horsfield, which is, however, 

 easily distinguished by its bright blue rump. 



According to Bonaparte, Merops Persica of Pallas 



