182 IBtUFOUS BEE-EATER? 



crown of the head and upper part of the neck 

 bright red : across the eyes a black streak : all the 

 upper parts of the bird fine green : the throat and 

 under parts yellow, but slightly dashed, from the 

 throat downwards, with red : tail even at the end^ 

 and rather short: irides red : bill black; legs brown. 

 Native of Angola. 



RUFOUS BEE-EATER. 



Merops rufus. M. rufus, subtus rufo-Jla'cicanSj remigihus fuscis 

 extiis rnjis. Lath. ind. orn. 



Rufous Bee-Eater, beneath yellowish rufous, with brown quill- 

 feathers rufous on the edges. 



Le Fournier de Buenos Ayres. Bvff, ois. PL Enl. 739. 



Rufous BeeTEater. Lath, syn. 



Described by Commerson : length about eight 

 inches and a half : colour rufous, deepest on the- 

 upper parts, and incHningto pale yellow beneath: 

 the larger quillr-feathers brownish : the tail slightly 

 rounded at the end : the bill and legs, according 

 to the Planches Enluminees, yellowish brown. It 

 is observed by Buffon, that as the toes in this spe- 

 cies are not united, as in the rest of the genus, it 

 seems to form as it were a connecting link or shade 

 between the Bee-Eaters and the Hoopoes or Pro« 

 meropes. 



