248 
Birds of Celebes: Meropidae. 
-f' 77. MEROPS ORNATUS Lath. 
Australian Bee-Eater. 
Plate VIII. 
Merops ornatus (1) Latli., Ind. Orn. Suppl. 1801, p. XXXV; (II) Grid., B. Austr. 1840, II, 
pi. 16; (3) Jukes, Voy. “Fly” 1847, 157; (IV) Beichb., Hb. sp. Orn. Meropinae 
1852, 68, t. 446, f. 2233—34; (5) Wall., P. Z. S. 1862, 335, 338; (6) ScbL, Mus. 
P.-B. Merops 1863, 4; (7) Old., HB. B. Austr. 1865, I, 117; (8) Brugg., Abb. 
Ver. Bremen 1876, V, 49; (9) Macleay, Pr. L. Soc. X. S. W. 1876, I, 37; (10) 
Sbarpe, J. Linn. Soc. Zool. 1879, XIY, 686; (11) Meyer, Ibis 1879, 57, 145; (12) 
Salvad., Orn. Pap. 1880, I, 401; Agg. 1889, 52; Appendice 1891, 222; (13) Meyer, 
Verb. z.-b. Oes. Wien 1881, 763, 769; (14) W. Bias., J. f. 0. 1883, 135; (15) Meyer, 
Isis, Dresden 1884, 6, 19; (16) Sbarpe, Beport Voy. “Alert” 1884, 21; (16 ^‘^) 
Pleske, Bull. Ac. Petersb. 1884, 117; (XVII) Dresser, Monogr. Merop. 1884 — 86, 
51, pL XIV; (18) Ouillem., P. Z. S. 1885, 503, 546, 566; (19) Bams., Pr. L. Soc. 
X. S. W. 1886, 1097; (20) id., ib. 1887, 166; (21) Xorth, t. c. 441; (22) Bams., 
Tab. List 1888, 3; (23) Cox & Hamib, ib. 1889, 401; (^24^ Xortb, t. c. 1024; (25) 
id., Xests & Eggs Austr. B. 1889, 34; (26) Meyer, Ibis 1890, 413; (27) Buttik., 
Xotes Leyd. Mus. 1891, 210; (28) Sbarpe, Cat. B. XVH, 1892, 74; (29) Meyer, 
Abb. Mus. Dresd. 1893, Xr. 3, p. 11; (30) Xewton, Diet. B. 1893, 30; (31) M. & 
Wg. , Abb. Mus. Dresden 1895, Xr. 8, p. 7; (32) iid., ib. 1896, Xr. 2, p. 11; (33) 
Hartert, Xov. Zool. 1896, 570, 586, 595; (34) id., ib. 1897, p. 164. 
a. Guepier Thouin ou a longs brins (I) LevailL, Hist. Xat. Ouepiers 1807, 26, pi. 4. 
“Kerikeri”, near Manado (Xat. Coll, in Mus. Dresd.). 
“Tomonsi bowula”, Peling Id. (iid.). 
“Tumpiliwarata”, Karkellang, Talaut (iid.). 
For further synonymy and references cf. Salvadori 12\ Dresser XVII\ Sbarpe 28. 
Figures and descriptions. Oould II\ Dresser XVII] Levaillant a J; Beicbb. IV] 
Wallace 5] Salvadori 12] Meyer 15] Xortb 21 (egg), 25 (egg); Sbarpe 28. 
Adult. Head above, neck, mantle, and upper wing-coverts yellow-green, passing into 
yellow-cbestnut on occiput and nape; and becoming blue-green on the scapulary 
region; lower back and rump turquoise-blue; darker on upper tail-coverts; 
wings rufous hazel, outer webs of the primaries green, the primaries and secondaries 
broadly tipped with black, tertiaries green, washed with blue; tail black, Avashed Avitb 
green and blue on the exposed webs, the shafts of the tAvo middle feathers produced 
much beyond the others, with extremely narrow Avebs which widen shghtly at the tip 
into a sort of spatule; lores, suborbital region and ear-coverts black; below 
this a malar stripe of turquoise-blue; chin ochre-yelloAV, more chestnut on upper 
throat; across loAver throat a broad black band; breast and sides yellow-green, 
passing into light blue on the under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts and most 
of under side of quills pale rufous, becoming more dusky toAvards the ends of 
quills (ad. Tabukan, Gt. Sangi: Meyer — C 2441). 
Sexes. Alike in coloration (28). 
Young. Differs from the adult in wanting the black band across the throat, in having the 
general plumage grey-green varied with tips of pale blue, instead of yellow-green, 
and in having the middle tail-feathers Avithout lengthened spatules; bill shorter 
(Manado tua, Apr. 93, C 12206; Mantehage, Apr. 93,“ 0 12207; Xat. Coll.). 
