MEROPINdE. 
* fjl6 
left, where they again seat themselves to wait the appearance of another insect. During the morning and ^ 
evening they are sometimes noticed to congregate in company, hawking actively about, and apparently catchmgi ^ 
in the manner of swallows. Their flight is graceful, and is capable of being sustained for a lengthened oop* ^ 
Their cry is loud, and consists of pleasant whistling notes, which are continually repeated during the morni ^ ^ 
evening flight. The young are reared in horizontal holes, formed in the sandy banks of rivers, or in rocks w » ^ 
sufficiently soft for them to excavate. The entrance is small, reaching inwardly to the depth of a yard or moie, ^ 
having at the end of the tube a receptacle of such dimensions that the parent bird can easily turn within i • 
eggs are four or five in number, and are deposited on the bare sand, or on moss and other soft materials. 
1. M. apiaster Linn. PI. enl. 938. — Merops chrysocephalus 
Gmel. ; M. Schoeghagha Forsh. Le Vaill. Hist. Guep. t. 1, 2., Gould, 
B. of Eur. pi. 59-, Hist. d’Egypt, Ois. t. 4. f. 3. 
2. M. persiaus Pall. Zoogr. i. p. 440. 
3. M. cegyptius Forsk. Faun. Arab. p. 1., Kittl. Kupf. der Vog. 
t 7. f. 1 , Merops viridissimus Swains. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 10. ; 
M. Laraarkii Vieill. 
4. M. albicoltts Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv.p. 15., Le Vaill. 
Guep. t. 9. — Merops Cuvieri Licht. 
5. M. superciliosus Linn. PI. enl. 259- —Merops ruficapillus 
Vieill. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 19- 
6. M. Savignii Cuv. Le Vaill. Guep. t. 6. 6.* — Merops rufi- 
collis Vieill. Le Vaill. Guep. t. l6., Swains. B. of W. Afr. pi. 7., 
Zool. Illustr. pi. 76. 
7. M. javanicus Horsf. Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 171. — Merops Sa- 
vignii Temm. 
8. M. ornatus Lath. Lewin, N. Holl. Birds, pi. 1 8., Gould, B. 
of Austr. pi., Le Vaill. Guep. t. 4. 
9. M. philippinus Linn. PI. enl. 57-, Le Vaill. Guep. t. 14. — 
Merops Daudini Cuv. 
10. M. viridis Linn. PI. enl. 740. 
11. M. quinticolor Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 20., Le 
Vaill. Guep. t. 15. — Merops urica Horsf. Swains. Zool. Illustr. 
pi. 8. 
12. M. erythrocephalus Gmel. Nat. Misc.pl. 357. 
13. M. sumatranus RafH. Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 29t. j ( f. 
14. M. badius Gmel. PI. enl. 252. — Merops castaneus 
Le Vaill. Guep. t. 12, 13. ; M. senegalensis Shaw. j, a las 
1 5. M. nubicus Gmel. PI. enl. 649. — Merops cffirule 0 
Lath. ; M. superbus Penn. Shaw, Nat. Misc. pi. 78. & 6l&-> 
B. of W. Afr. pi. 9*, Le Vaill. Guep. t. 3. . a\„ 
16. M. hirundinaeeus Vieill. N. Diet. dTIist. Nat. x ’ v - ^ 
Le Vaill. Guep. t. 8., Swains. B. of W. Afr. pi. 10. — MeroP 
Cuv. ; M. chrysolaimus Jard. $ Selby, Ornith. Illustr. pi- 9 
17. M. angolensis Gmel. Briss. Orn. iv. t. 44. f. 1- A- jg., 
18. M. Leschenaultii Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. P- 
Vaill. Guep. t. 18. - jytd- 
19. M. collaris Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. !>• * ’ 
Kupf. der Vog. t. 7- f. 2. 
20. M. longicauda Vieill. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. p. I- 7, ^j t , r op 5 
21. ? M. bicolor Daud. Ann. du Mus. ii. t. 62. f- !• yieilb 
malembicus Shaw, Nat. Misc. pi. 71 ., Le Vaill. Guep. J ’ 
Gal. des Ois. 1. 186. 
22. ? M. citrinella Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. P; 
Vaill. Guep. 1. 1 1. (a variety). 
23. ? M. coromandus Lath. Sonn. Voy. Ind. t. 119- 
cans Gmel. ? (a variety). 
24. M. orientalis Lath. 
25. M. carulescens Lath. 
26. M. Lafresnayii Guer. Rev. Zool. 1843. p. 322- 
Melittophagus Boie.* 
• 1 /-l 
Differs from the former genus by having the Wings reaching to the middle of the tail, ana ^ 
with the first quill more than half the length of the third, which is rather longer than the secon 
ded, 
1 til * 0 
id, “ 
the longest of all. Tail long, broad, and even. 
The species of this division are peculiar to the continent of Africa. 
Their habits and manners are 
similar to 
those 
the last genus. 
1. M. erythropterus (Gmel.) Boie.— Merops minutus Vieill.; 
M. minulus Cuv. Le Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 1 1 . 
2. M. variegatus (Vieill.) N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 25., Kittl. 
Kupf. der Vog. t.7. f. 3. 
3. M. ? Le Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 7- 
4. M . Bullockn (Vieill.) Nouv. Diet, de Hist. Nat. xiv. 13., Le 
- __ M er °P s ^ 
Vaill. Hist, de Guep. t. 20., Donov. Nat. Rep. t. 40. 
anogaster Swains. B. of W. Afr. pi. 8. jg3-h 
5. M. Sullockoides (A. Smith), S. Afr. Quart. Jo«f n - 
S. Afr. Zool. Birds, pi. 9- 
6. M. gularis (Shaw), Nat. Miscell. pi. 337- 
* M. Boie established this genus in 1828 (Isis). 
