248 
Birds of Celebes; Meropidae. 
77. MEROPS ORNATUS Lath. 
Australian Bee-Eater. 
Plate VIII. 
Merops ornatus (7) Lath., Ind. Orn. Suppl. 1801, p. XXXV; (11) Grid., B. Aiistr. 1840, 11, 
pi. 1(3; (3) Jukes, Voy. “Ely” 1847, 157; (IVJ Eeichk, Hh. sp. Orn. Meropinae 
1852, 68, t. 446, f. 2233-34; (d) Wall., P. Z. S. 1862, 335, 338; (6) Sclil., Mus. 
P.-B. Merops 1863, 4; (7J Old., HB. B. Austr. 1865, I, 117; (8J Briigg., Abh. 
Ver. Bremen 1876, V, 49; (9) Macleay, Pr. L. Soc. X. S. W. 1876, I, 37; (10) 
Sharpe, J. Linn. Soc. Zool. 1879, XTV, 686; (11) Meyer, Ibis 1879, 57, 145; (12) 
Salvad., Orn. Pap. 1880, I, 401; Agg. 1889, 52; Appendice 1891, 222; Meyer, 
Verb. z.-b. Gcs. Wien 1881, 763, 769; (14) W. Bias., J. f. O. 1883, 135; (15) Meyer, 
Isis, Dresden 1884, 6, 19; (W) Sharpe, Beport Voy. “Alert” 1884, 21; (16^‘’‘) 
Pleske, Bull. Ac. Petersb. 1884, 117; (XVII) Dresser, Monogr. Merop. 1884—86, 
51, pi. XIV; (18) Guillem., P. Z. S. 1885, 503, 546, 566; (19) Rams., Pr. L. Soc. 
N. S. W. 1886, 1097; (20) id., ib. 1887, 166; (21) Xorth, t. c. 441; (22) Rams., 
Tab. List 1888, 3; (23) Oox & Hamil., ib. 1889, 401; North, t. c. 1024; (25) 
id.. Nests & Eggs Austr. B. 1889, 34; (26) Moyer, Ibis 1890, 413; (27) Blittik., 
Notes Leyd. Mus. 1891, 210; (28) Sharpe, Cat. B. XVII, 1892, 74; (29) Meyer, 
Ahh. Mus. Dresd. 1893, Nr. 3, p. 11; (30) Newton, Diet. B. 1893, 30; (31) M. & 
Wg., Abh. Mus. Dresden 1895, Nr. 8, p. 7; (32) iid., ib. 1896, Nr. 2, p. 11; (33) 
Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1896, 570, 586, 595; (34) id., ib. 1897, p. 164. 
a. Guepier Thouin ou a longs brins (I) Levaill, Hist. Nat. Guepiers 1807, 26, pi. 4. 
“Kerikeri”, near Manado (Nat. Coll, in Mus. Dresd.). 
“Tomonsi bowula”, Pchng Id. (iid.). 
“Tumpiliwarata”, Karkellang, Talaut (iid.). 
For further synonymy and references cf. Salvador! 72; Dresser XVII; Sharpe 28. 
Figures and descriptions. Gould JI; Dresser XF//; Levaillant a I; Reichb. IF; 
Wallace .5; Salvador! 12] Meyer 15] North 21 (egg), 25 (egg); Sharpe 28. 
Adult. Head above, neck, mantle, and upper wing-coverts yellow-green, passing into 
yellow-chestnut on occiput and nape; and hecoming 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 imimaries and secondaries 
broadly tqjped with black, tertiaries green, washed with blue; tail black, washed Avith 
green and blue on the exposed webs, the shafts of the two middle feathers produced 
much beyond the others, with extremely narrow webs which Aviden shghtly at the tip 
into a sort of spatule; lores, suborbital region and ear-coverts black; beloAv 
this a malar stripe of turquoise-blue; chin ochre-ycllow, more chestnut on upper 
throat; across loAver throat a broad black band; breast and sides yellow-green, 
jjassing into liglit 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 — 0 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 yelloAv-green, 
and in having the middle tail-feathers Avithout lengthened spatules; bill shorter 
(Manado tua, Apr. 93, 0 12206; Mantehage, Apr. 93, 0 12207; Nat. Coll.). 
