250 
Birds of Celebes: Meropidae. 
Although there is reason to believe that some few individuals of this Bee- 
eater remain throughout the year in some or, perhaps, all of the East India 
Islands in which it occurs, it is in the main a migratory bird, visiting Australia 
in September, breeding there, and returning northward again in Eebruary. 
Dr. E. P. Bam say ( 19 ) speaks of it as more nearly approaching truly migratory 
species than any other Australian bird, and, though we believe that field obser- 
vers will still have a great deal to tell on the subject of migration, it is certain 
no form illustrates the phenomenon of coming and going with the seasons in 
this region so strikingly as the present conspicuous bird. Gould terms it 
strictly migratory, arriving in New South Wales in August and departing north- 
ward in March (II). In the Mudgee District, N. S. W., Cox & H amilton 
write ( 23 ) that it arrives by September 25*’' or later, commences to nest at once, 
and eggs may be taken from November till the end of December; it leaves in 
Eebruary, a few remaining till March. AVhen the “Fly” was in the Torres Straits, 
Jukes was able to observe the passage of the bird on its journey from xAustralia 
to New’^ Guinea, and also its return-journey: “While we were in this neighbour- 
hood (near Mount Egmont Island in Torres Straits) about the end of Eebruary, 
great flocks of the Bee-eater which is common in Australia (Merops ornatus) 
were continually passing to the northward. The white pigeons, also {^Carpo- 
phaga luctuosa = bicolor or spilorrhoa\ were going in the same direction in 
numerous small flocks . . . The Bee-eaters go as far to the southward as Sydney 
during the summer of New South AVales, but we never saw the white pigeons 
much to the southward of Torres Strait. In September, 1844, they were coming 
thickly from the northward to Endeavour Strait, and they seem to return in 
March” ( 3 ). 
Macleay ( 9 ) had a similar opportunity during the cruise of the "Chevert” 
in 1875 of watching the flight of M. ornatus across the Torres Straits: “It seems 
to commence its annual migration southwards as early as August. Throughout 
the early part of September, I observed, or heard, scattered flocks of from 
twelve to twenty of them passing the ship at all hours of the day and night, 
and making direct for the mainland near Cape York. They flew low, and 
with anything but a steady flight. I imagine their migration is a very slow 
and painful affair, for it is generally the month of November before they reach 
their breeding grounds on the Murrumbidgee”. 
Not all individuals make this tr^-nsit to Australia, however. In German New 
Guinea our artist, Bruno Geisler observed ( 29 ) that individuals are always 
to be found, but, at the beginning of the year only, hocks of 20 to 30 occur. 
Sharpe ( 10 ) records Lawes’ discovery of its nesting in South-east New Guinea, 
where, as in Australia, it lays its eggs in sand; and Mr. North ( 21 ) 
describes some eggs procured by Parkinson in New Britain, remarking that 
they are like Australian ones, but smaller. Dr. Ramsay (XVII) has also remarked 
that “specimens from Port Denison (N. E. Queensland) are somewhat smaller 
